The Revelation of Emrys
by Shadow-StrikeRaven
Summary: Morgana plans to take Camelot with the aid of The Tears Of Beleth, A legendary group of stones that give untold power to their possessor. Will Arthur accept Merlin when he learns his secret? Especially knowing that the only way to win the fight is to have a powerful sorceror on their side... Reveal Fic, Bromance, Angst, Friendship, Pairings: ArthurxGwen, Warning/character death(nm)
1. Chapter 1

Morgana laughed. It was a chilling sound that sent tremors through Mordred. The young druid had been taken by Morgana several days before and had since been subject to whatever form of truth spells or concoctions she could mix. Eventually, He had told her what she wanted to know, the location of the Seven Tears of Beleth. They were legendary amongst sorcerers. The legend tells that a powerful sorceror, who's name got lost amongst the drifts of time, Travelled to the firey bowels of the Earth, amongst the deep dwelling demons of hell, and stole the gems from Beloth, a demon king. It was said, that the stones had power over mortals, and would cause terrible suffering when the power was inflictd upon a host. Morgans did not care for the legend. She was only interested in the fabled power that she would possess. Finally, she would have a means to take her rightful place upon the throne of Camelot. She knew the power must be a true part of the legend. Why else would the druids keeep such Items hidden? Now she knew where they were, and not even the wrath of hell itself would keep her from them. Athur and Camelot would soon fall...

She once again read the account of the legend, revelling in the powers that she knew would soon be at hr disposal.

_The most well known stone was the Stone of Shadows, otherwise known as the Shadow Saphire or Saphire of Shadow. It would give its posessor the power to send someone into a, seemingly timeless, trance. No, rather a state of inescapable sleep, in whch they would suffer their worst nightmares coming to life in vivid visions. It would send the sufferer mad, unless of course, their will power rivalled that of the tormentor. _

Morgana paused, relishing the idea of Athur suffering at the hands of such power, before reading on.

_The second stone was known most commonly as the Mayhem Emerald. It was said to unleash the eighty-five legions of demons, unde the control of Beloth, but more likely that it would release similar spirits to those that once nearly bought Camelot to it's knees. _

_The third was the Devils Dusk. It was said to be a diamond like stone which would cast the world in an eternal state of in between, never the night and never the day. The entire world froze at that moment, even though living forms did not and were suspended in the state at which they were when the stone unleashed its power. If they were awake, they stayed awake. If they were asleep, they stayed n their slumber until the stone was broken, or is power recalled. This stone was sought as exhaustion could fell enemies as swiftly as the cut of a blade._

_The fourth gem was known as the Discord of the Demons, because o the power harnessed within it. When unleashed, it would cause anyone within half a days travel distance from the stone to turn against erstwhile friends and allies, slowly at first, but in ever increasing amounts. Within two or three days, depending on the will power of the victims, they would turn on each other without any more reason than a misplaced word or action. It is fabled that only a true pairing of souls, fate o destiny could withstand he power of the discord spread by this stone._

_The fifth Stone was the Echo of Morganite. The morganite stone was said to be a rare form of stone that could be a great vessel of power for the practitioners of Magic. It was this ability which allowed Beloth to enchant the ston with it's fabled power. The power given to the weilder by this stone was perhaps the most desirable amongst those who craved them. It gave the weilder the power to create copies of any living creation on this fair Earth, whether sentient or plant ike n nature. This power was often told in legends, giving root to the dream of an army of men. However, a dre consuence od using this stone was that, as if like an echo, aech copy was fainter and paer than the one before._

_The sixth stone was the animatique obsidian. It was said that it gave the bearer the power to bring to life all that goes without. Statues of stone, gagoyles, figures and carvings of old do the bidding of their master, until they are destroyed or are sent back to the positions from whence they came._

The seventh stone is hardly considered to be worthy of note, as it does that which can be easily circumvented with the use of magic. It shows whether the holder is telling the truth, or whether they believe they are doing so. It s known simply as the truth stone. This stone is made of the element Bloodsone, which the Demon King use as a trap for all those who use it. The stone requires the blood of the one being judged to function.

Morgana had read all of the legends, and seen how magic similar to what was described n the scroll had nearly destroyed Camelot. With all of these powers at he fingertips, as well as the power she herself held, how could she fail in her quest to claim he throne of Camelot. She gathered the things she would need for travelling and left the hut she had been living in since the white dragon had bought her back from the edges of the abyss. In less than a day, the stones would be in her possession, the druids being no match for the power she possessed, and within a month, she would be on the throne of Camelot. As for Arthur, he deserved whatever fate came his way and if she had her way, It would not be pleasant. Shhe set out, ready to rid the earth of Arthur once and for all, taking the throne for herself. Sh tried to ignore the small voice at the back of her mnd, that kept repeating, over and over, "Beware... Emerys... He shall be your doom... Emerys... Emerys..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Aaaaahhhhh".  
It seemed to Merlin that the entire courtyard turned to stare as he dragged himself out from under the horse. Then again, most of them had been staring at him for the better part of an hour as he was constantly shown up by the self same horse. Gaius had used a sleeping draught to put it to sleep, as it had gone berserk during the morning and would not calm down. And guess who Arthur had allocated the _"tricky task that Merlin was just the man for"_?  
Yep, that's right. That's why, in the sweltering mid morning heat, he had climbed over the gate and crept up on the damn horse. All he had to do, then, was creep up closer to it, and hold the cloth under its nose, so that it breathed in the fumes. Half an hour later, when Athur had come down to see what was taking so long, Merlin was making his fifth foray into the paddock, having been chased out by the horse in several humiliating ways. Most involving dung. Finally he had managed to jump onto the horses back, from a bale of hay behind it, and held on until the salve covered cloth did its work. Unfortunately, as he went to jump of, the horse keeled over onto its side, trapping him beneath it. Fortunately, he had only been trapped by the legs, as he had managed to roll out of the way from the main body of the damn thing. He climbed out and sighed, getting to his feet. He turned to walk out, and saw Arthur stood there, trying to hide a smile.  
"Merlin," he said, in a voice that he normally used before complimenting him... (then again, he did use it a lot for his lame attempts at insults, Merlin reasoned) "Nice job. Now take a bath. You cant do everything else smelling like a stable." Merlin sighed.  
"Everything... else?" he asked, dreading the reply.  
"Yes, You have to polish my armour, clean the floor of my quarters, catch the damn rat that has begun to sneak into my room, wash my clothes, polish the brass..." Arthur was about to continue, but Merlin had backed up a few steps.  
"Fine, fine. Dont remind me..." He headed off to his room to clean up and Arthur smiled, before turning to the courtyard.  
"Hey," he called to the assembled watchers, "Laughing at his expense is my job. But then agan, it is a full time occupation so feel free." He heard laughter in the crowd as they broke away to continue their work, before he head back into the castle to see Guinevere.

_Morgana looked at the images in the basin before her and a spark of envy ripped through her. The people of Camelot had never respected her like that... The envy turned to anger as she watched Arthur smile as he met Guinevere... The Queen of Camelot. How the name made Morgana sick. How dare that serving wench take her place upon the throne of Camelot. She waved a hand over the top of the basin and the images vanished. She rocked back and felt her anger give way to satisfaction. The Seven Stones of Beleth lay across the belt at her feet. The belt itself was simple and made of leather, but the stones within it radiated power. Morgana laughed. The druids were no match for her, they had handed it over without much more than a few weak spells aimed at her. She had simply spoken one of the spells given to her by Morgause and watched as they all fell into a deep sleep. When they awoke, she would be gone. She grinned and scooped up the gems, before heading out into the forest._

The warning bell sounded. Merlin had just finished cleaning Arthurs armour, admiring his own work, even though he had cheated slightly... He nearly dropped the greaves as he positioned them on top of the pile to take to Arthur, so awkward they were to balance and carry. He hurriedly made his way down through the castle, nearly running into Gwen as she rounded a corner.  
"Sorry m'lady" Merlin said, keeping a straight face as he imagined the exhasperated sigh that he knew would come. Sure enough,  
"Merlin, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't call me by any title. It always had been and always will be Gwen." She laughed and caught neck plate that toppled from the pile in Merlins hands, tucking it back and stepping aside. "And you had better get those to Arthur before you hurt yourself. And Merlin, be careful."

Merlin thanked her, and made his way down the corridor to Arthurs chamber, knocking upon the door in a small rythm, as had become usual since Gwen had taken up residence in the chambers, and opened it as he heard a faint reply to the knock, telling him to get would have been happy to do so, but the unstable pile in his hands threatened to tumble if he shifted it. He heard someone make their way to the door and heard it open. He peeked around the pile at the amused expression on Gawain's face as he saw Merlin stood there. He moved aside to let him pass and Merlin saw his face fall into a grim look, a look which, when he looked, was mirrored on Arthurs face. Merlin helped Arthur into his chainmail, which he belted his sword onto, before helping him with the rest of his armour. This was how Merlin knew that Arthur was going to the council chamber. It was considered to be appropriate that in times of crisis, whether big or small, the king should be in appropriate attire. Merlin got ready to leave, but was surprised when Arthur asked him to accompany him to the meeting. Merlin followed as they made their way through th castle, wondering what use Arthur could possibly have for him, and wondered if the warning from Gwen to_ Be Careful_, meant more than he thought it had.

Merlin entered the council chambers behind Arthur and went to stand in the place he normally did when invited to the room. From there, he could see everything and hear everything. When he heard what the meeting was about, his face dropped into an expression that he assumed mirrored the dismayed looks around the room. The outer villages had apparently been suffering attacks from ghostlike creatures, similar to the spirits that attacked Camelot before, but with horrifying faces and blood red colour. The news came from a servant that had been visiting relatives in the village, but had arrived to find everyone sick or injured. He had immediately hastened to Camelot to tell Gaius, who had informed Arthur. Then the reason for Merlins invitation became clear. Arthur turned to look at him.  
"Merlin, with Gaius riding to the stricken villages, you become our foremost fountain of knowledge when it comes to magic. After all, you have lived wih him for several years now." The expession on Arthurs face was such that most would not be able to see what he was thinking, but Merlin knew him better.

Arthur was afraid, and Merlin felt the same feeling of dread. They couldnt be back... He continued this thought out loud.  
"The spirits of the dead can not return." he stated firmly, watching several faces in the room lose some of their tension. "The rift has been closed, and the night at which it could be torn has long since passed us by this year. They would not wait if they had been released then. They are uncontrollable." He paused to consider something and caught a look directed at him from Arthur. One of relief and surprise, probably at the idea that Merlin was doing as good a job as Gaius. He turned to look at him.  
"Did the person say what the wounds were like Sire?" he asked, knowing that the occassion called for proper address. Arthur turned to look at Gwaine, who Merlin knew was the one who had talked to the servant.  
"He said that they were like any wounds inflicted with normal mortal weapons." Gwaine stopped for a moment, before continuing. "But he said that he was told the creatures were like mist and their weapons were the same." The fear had settled back over the table like a cloak. Weapons that were not solid, but that still caused wounds? Merlin considered this.  
"Sire," he said, "I do not recall what these creatures are, though I believe I have read about similar creatures to this. I can recall the book that I read the passage from however, meaning it shouldnt be difficult for me to look them up." He was told to go and do so, and immediately left the room, heading for the small library in Gauis' rooms. It took him ten minutes to find the book, and a further ten minutes to find the right passage, but when he did, he read quickly.

Demons are often considered as servants of the devil himself (he read) though only can they be loosed upon this world by a sorcerer with power enough to control the Mayhem Emerald. One of the legendary Seven Tears of Beleth. These demons a not of this world, so do not have a solid form, yet they have enough power to use their mist-like weapons for great harm, even so far as wounding any mortal man with wounds similar to the nature of their mortal counterparts. With one crucial difference. These wounds are impossible to heal without the aid of magic, and within one day and night cycle, the wound will have drained the life force of the wounded to fuel the demons own body. They use terrifying expressions to instill fear into thir victims and are always identified by their colour, that of blood.

Merlin recalled reading the legend and immediately ran to find the book. After a great deal of searching he found the text and read the legend of the Seven Tears of Beleth. As he finished his blood ran cold. From what he had been told and what he had read, he concluded that the demons were responsible for the damage wreaked upon the village, but it was not this knowledge alone that sent him running to Arthurs chambers. The only sorcerer he knew that had enough power to unleash them was Morgana, and if she had one stone, she would have them all. Camelot had a fight on it's hands. She was back.

He reached Arthurs chambers just as Arthur himself arrived. He joined him inside and gasped out what he had found to Arthur as he was catching his breath. Arthur paled.  
"Morgana?" he murmured. He quickly took in the rest of what Merlin had said. "A wound will kill without the use of magic when healing it?" he asked, and Merlin could see that a fierce battle had begun to rage in Arthurs head. On one hand, he believed magic to be evil, on the other, how could he let his people die? Merlin gave him until he had fully caught his breath before interrupting his thoughts.  
"Arthur, I know that this is difficult, but there is something we have to do." Arthur looked at him, "What Merlin?" Merlin was surprised to see a new-found respect in Arthurs eyes when he looked at him. "We need to see the druids. If anyone knows about the Seven Tears, they do." He expected an argument from Arthur, so was surprised when Arthur simply told him to get a move on and pack.

The next morning the two of them rode out, leaving the knights because Arthur said that he needed them their in case of an emergency. Merlin realised tht this was the first time in nearly a year when they had actually gone on a mission without a bodyguard for Arthur and felt himself longing for the good old days. When Arthur asked what he was smiling about, he told him and Arthur joined him in saying that it was much more fun back then, before he fell to musing about his role as king. Merlin knew he would get nothing more out of him until they stopped to camp down for the night, and was happy to relax into the old feeling of companionship between them. Within two days, they would reach the druids, and would learn what they needed to in order to fight Morgana. But for now, Merlin could relax.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin knew something was wrong. He could feel it. And sure enough, when they entered the druids cave, he saw that most of them were looking ill and feverish. He could see that although Arthur hated users of magic, he felt pity for them. It was written clearly on his face. As soon as they entered the cave, the word Emrys was whispered and echoed throughout the cavernous space. Arthur looked confused, and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. He decided he had no cause to use it however, as nothing seemed to happen. It wa only a few moments before a druid made his way out towards them. Merlin recognised him as the one who had warned them about the cup of life, the magic goblet that enabled Morgana to take Camelot nearly a year ago, by creating an immortal army.  
His face showed no malice, however, or anger. Only the calm facade that he had had during their previous meeting.  
A few minutes later, they were seated just outside the cave, asking the Druid abou the Tears of Beleth. At the first mention of the name, the lines on the his face became sharp with anger, and he told them of Morgana's theivery of the Stones. He warned them of the powers of the gems, and about how the only wa to fight them was with magic. He also told them, whilst sneaking a quick look at Merlin, that only a sorceror with power to rival that of Morgana could enable them to win this fight. At that point however, Arthur refused to hear more of the subject, stating that he would never trust a sorceror, as the only occcassions that he ahd come across one had led to pain, misery and suffering. At those words, the druid took a piece of parchment from the folds of his robes. He handed it to Arthur, reassuring him that it was not magic, and telling him to read it when  
"The one thing that you never could have imagined comes to pass. When you're whole life balances on a crucial decision. When your fate seems like it relies on the drop of a coin." Arthur asked what the scroll contained, but the only answer he recieved was "The truth. That which you need to know. That which will help you decide the future of Camelot and the land of Albion. Destiny, fate, loyalty, courage, sacrifice, fear and the path to forgiveness are all contained in the white roll of the parchment and the black stroke of the quill." After that, they spent a little time discussing the propertes of the stones, what morganas powers could enable them to do and how they could defeat her.

After taking their leave of the Druids, the pair of them decided to ride for the village where the attacks took place. For a little over two hours, they just rode and discussed what they had found out. About how only a powerful sorceror could enable them to defeat Morgana by destroying the stones. About how the power of the stones, if they were all unleashed, could make her virtually untouchable. About what stone they considered to be the worst. Though he was a warrior, Arthur surprised Merlin by saying that his gatest fear was the Shadow Stone. In response to Merlins questioning gaze, he simply said,  
"Everyone had nightmares Merlin. Especially a king." Then, under his breath, in such a low tone that Merlin was not sure whether he was meant to hear or not, he murmured "and everyone has people they could not bare to lose..." Merlin decided that amongst all of the stones, though he feared them all, he was most afraid of the truth stone.  
"Because," he explained, "everyone has secrets, whether big or small. Personal or those of a friend." He also murmured something under his breath, but Arthur was only able to cach the words, "secrets... hidden... life... death... betrayed" . After that they were both quiet until Merlin tentatively breached the subject of a sorceror again.  
"Arthur, if it is true that we need a sorceror to win, surely we should..." Arthur immediately interrupted.  
"No. Sorcerors are pure evil, untrustworthy. They should be wiped from the face of this land... No mercy should be shown to them. They ruin everything, destroy everything..." he continued to rant, but, to Merlin, his words seemed to be a blur. His blood had run cold and he had to hide the trembling that threatened to beak out. If Arthur truly thougt that, then he... Arthurs voice came back into focus. "... never trust them, the..." Merlin snapped.  
"Arthur" he shouted, making him freeze, shocked. "How can you say all magic is evil. If you knew how many times your life has been saved by magic..." he stopped, wishing he could take back his words, but knowing, already, that he had said too much. Arthur was looking at him with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and-the one that made Merlin most afraid- suspision.  
"Merlin" he asked softly, keeping his emotions in check, "What exacty do you mean? What do you know about..." He didn't get any further. Thay heard a laugh at the edge of the clearing where they had stopped, and turned to see Morgana staring at them, dressed in th same type of armour she had worn when they all went to save Ealdor. She complete the look with the manic glee in her eyes.  
"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise."

Merlin and Arthur immediately jumped down from their horses, facing Morgana. Arthur had drawn his sword, but was holding it by his side. Morgana laughed again.  
"Arthur, Arthur... You should know that it is a bad idea to make so much noise in a forest, the sound echoes you see..." She glanced down at the sword held in his hand, and grinned. "...and you shouldn't draw a sword unless you a prepared to use it. No matter, it wont work against my little pets..." She pulled a stone out from the belt at her waist and spoke a spell, neither Merlin or Arthur moved to stop her, so shocked at her arrival that they could do nothing but stare.  
When they finally came to their senses, it was to late. A swam of red demon spirits swirled around at her before heading straight to Arthur. He raised his sword, hoping that it would work against the mist like creatures, but it was not to be. Within seconds, they swarmed around him, trying to slash at any par of him without armour. Within seconds , Arthur was on his knees. He resigned himself to the fact that he was about to die and just as he felt a sharp burn on his cheek, he head Merlin cry out a word he had never head before, -just like Dollop-head, he remembered-. He saw a blue light surround him. Funny, it looked just like the blue orb that helped him find his way out of the chasm of the giant spiders... Was it death... was it... Suddenly, his brain snapped into gear, and he realized that the blue haze around him was repelling the Demons. Wondering at it, he turned to look at Merlin, and his heart froze in his chest. Merlins eyes were amber and the blue light poured from his hands. Merlin was a... a sorcerer...

Merlin saw that Athur was okay, and immediately poured more power into the blue light protecting him. The demons feared it, he could see that, but how much would it take for hem to retreat. A few more seconds and he found out. With nearly all of his energy spent, the Demons finally returned to the stone and he let the light fade. He glanced at Morgans, unable to face Arthur, and saw fear and shock on her face. "Merlin..." she stammered, "all this time... you were a... you protected him..." Merlin knew that if he was to beat Morgana in the weakened state he was in, there was only one thing he could do.  
"Aye Morgana, I am the protector of the true King of Camelot. The soon to be King of the land of Albion and the Rightful Ruler of Camelot's lands. You may know me as... Emrys." He saw a look of fear cross over her face, and saw her reach for another stone. He knew he couldn't let her. He used the last dregs of his energy and whispered a spell. Morgana flew back, falling to the ground unconscious. Merlin fell to his knees, his energy spent, unable to stay on his feet. He glanced over at Arthur and saw the shock on his face change to an expression of rage, sorrow and fear.

Arthur got to his feet.  
"Merlin?... you... you..." his confusion turned to rage. "You're a sorceror... you have been here all this time..." He couldn't think, all that he was able to think about was that Merlin was a sorceror... "Sorcery is evil... How can you be... You liar, Traitor..." He saw pain cross Merlins face at the words, and resignation. Still, he had the nerve to speak to him.  
_

Merlin's worst fears had been recognised. Arthur hated him, thought he was evil...  
"Arthur, please. Listen, I..." he tried to get to his feet and failed. He tried again, and only sheer force of will kept him upright. "Arthur, I need to..." Arthur interrupted him but his hearing was blurred, as was his sight. He closed his eyes to clear them and opened them to see a sword blade heading towards him.  
_

Arthur hid the confusion and pain he felt with anger. He let it loose, moving closer to Merlin and preparing to strike. Saw Merlin fall to the floor again and flinch. It was the flinch that stopped him, reminding him of the time he had struck out at him when he first came to work for him, trying to scare him away without success. Merlin stuck with him through that crisis and all the others. He pulled his sword, stopping it just before he hit Merlin, and reigned in his anger. He grabbed Merlin's arm and hoisted him up, pinning him to a tree. He whispered, angrily, into his ear.  
_

Merlin lost his balance and fell. He knew he would not be able to dodge the strike and couldn't hold in a flinch as he waited for the blow to land. Instead, he felt himself hoisted to his feet and pinned against a tree. He felt the blade press into his arm, and felt a sharp pain as it cut through his skin. He felt Arthur lean in and heard the vehemenous whisper.  
"I owe you, so I am going to let you run. I am going to let you run, like the lying coward you are. But believe me, if you ever come near me again, I will treat you like your kind should be treated. If I see you, it will be the for last time."  
_

Arthur had felt Merlin stiffen at the word 'Coward', then again at 'Your Kind', but payed no attention. He let go and watched Merlin fall to the floor. He stepped back, but his attention was caught by a fleeting movement at the other end of the glade. He ran after Morgana, but after only a few minutes, she evaded him. He needed to get back to Camelot. He ran back to the clearing but found no trace of Merlin, only a scrap of parchment slipped through the bridle of one of the horses. He read it, and felt a strange surge of warm emotion flood through him. It read, If you need help, Just ask for it. Arthur trembled as waves of emotion flooded through him. Pain, shock, disbelief, and loss, but no anger. He had no anger left. He suddenly felt cold. What had he done?  
_

Merlin fell to the floor, and noticed Arthur take after Morgana. He tried to call out, but couldn't, he was frozen. He slowly got to his feet and stumbled over to his horse. He grabbed a scrap of parchment, scrawling on a message. Maybe Arthur would change his mind... but Merlin dared not get his hopes up. He grabbed his jacket and head into the forest. To the only place he knew he would be welcome. He sighed. It was a long way to the Druids home.

Arthur had nearly reached the edge of the forest, and had been unable to get the words from the parchment out of hs head. The black ink seared into his memory... the black ink... The druid scroll. He hastily dug it out of his bag and read it whilst riding. What he read made him feel even colder and hate himself even more...


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur jumped down from his horse and was immediately surrounded by people. He needed time to think, and the constant talking didnt help. He eventually called out for everyone to be quiet, and stated,  
"Two hours from now. Meeting. Knights, Generals and advisors." He turned to Gwaine and Elyan, "Spread the word." he ordered and handed his horse to the stable boy. He started to make his way up to his chambers, but changed direction half way. He had been told Gaius had returned. Time to see what he knew...

Merlin opened his eyes and sat up, immmediately wishing he hadn't as the world started to spin. He looked around him and was surprised to see himself surrounded by druids. Considering that he had fallen unconscious about tree hours from here, he didnt know how they had managed to find him or get him here. He was about to ask, when the Druid him and Arthur had spoke to before shunted the others on their way, and sat on the edge of the bed where Merln was sitting. As if he knew what was on his mind, He said  
"We always watch the key events that unfold in your life Emrys. We kept watch over the entire course of the day and night." Merlin gasped. "But it was only late afternoon when I fell unconscious, everything happened in the morning... Arthur... Morgana... What happened. What do you mean night, Did I sleep all the way through? I dont..." The druid interrupted,  
"Emrys, we keep track only of you. All we can tell you is that we found you yesterday evening and you have slept througout the night and morning. It is nearing noon." Merlin shot up,  
"But Arthur... Morgana is going to attack Camelot... And he was slashed by the Demons... He only has tonight, tomorrow and until the early hours of the next night. I need to..." The druid interrupted again, with a voice of reason that Merlin could not ignore.  
"We have a way for you to reach Camelot within only a matter of minutes. It is difficult and not very precise, but if you are willing to take the risk, so then shall we. Emrys, Camelot can manage without you for at least another two days, that we have seen. However, we have seen no more than that, which makes us believe that the dusk stone is used at some point either tomorrow or tomorrow night. This means that the infection Arthur is suffering will hold. We cannot be of much more use to you I am afraid." Merlin sighed.  
"Dont say that, I couldnt have hoped for as much. Its just... How do I know what Arthur will do? Will he forgive me?" The druid looked at him solemnly.  
"Forgive me, There are times when we think only of your powers and legends. We forget you are still young." Then he smiled. "I can promise nothing, but know this Emrys. On the scroll I gave Arthur is a list of all the times you hav saved his life, all the times you have been willing to sacrifice yourself for him, everything that you have given up and lost for his sake. Maybe it will be enough to sway his mind."  
_

Arthur still had half an hour to go before the meeting, and he could not help but read the druids scroll again.

Arthur, Gaius once told you that there would come a time when you would realise just how much a single person has done for you. That person goes by many names, fom lagends and premonitions of old. Emerys, Protector of the Once and Future King, and as you know him, Merlin. The time has come for you to know how much he has sacrificed for you.

Arthur read, once again, everything Merlin had done. He found some of it hard to believe, The deal with Nimueh to exchange his life for Arthurs when he got bitten by the questing beast, Saving Camelot from the Great Dragon, Losing a girl that he loved for Arthurs sake... Yet, it made sense. He offered to take Arthurs place as a sacrifice to seal the rift on the Isle of the Blessed, (and he did remember being thrown back), but was beaten to it by Lancelot, the one person he could confide in. He remembered Merlins insistence that he join him when fighting the Dragon... He remembered the blue orb, when he was stuck in the chasm with the spiders... He remembered Merlin stealing food around the time that the animal-only now he knew it was a cursed girl- was terrorizing Camelot... Jumping in front of Arthur in the old castle, to stop him getting hit by the dead spirit... Spearing a boar, a man, a soldier then pretending he knew nothing of it... Then when he first came to Camelot. Slowing down time to pull Arthur from the path of a knife... The list was huge. But then so was the revelation at the bottom. The fact that the old sorceeor that killed his father was Merlin, then again, that was Morgana's fault too... and the story about Agravaine did ring true. Arthur felt a surge of regret as he again thought of how he had threatened Merlin, how he had nearly killed him, how he had given him a cut that was sure to leave a scar. He grabbed his sword, the sword that Merlin was responsible for him having, and left his quarters.  
_

Merlin gratefully drank the concoction given to him by a young druid boy (the same one that Arthur had used to get the cup of life), as it was helping to ease all of his pain. The headache, the fatigue, the burning across the cut that Arthur had given him... He drained the cup and thanked the child, who scampered away to do whatever it was that the druid children do. He did as the old Druid had recommended. He lay down and let the healing potion do its work, let it smooth away his aches and pains and revitalize him. He no longer felt weak and tired, he felt as energetic as he normally did, and the potion still hadn't finished its work. He watched the sun set through the mouth of the cave and slowly drifted into a deep sleep. Secure in the knowledge that no matter what Arthur did to him, he would be returning to Camelot tomorrow, and would help in the shadows, as he always had, until Arthur needed him. After all, he reasoned, what are friends for...  
_

Arthur sat alone in the room. The people who had taken part in the meeting had dispersed rapidly afterwards, to act upon what he had said. He knew that within a matter of hours, Camelots defences would be the strongest they could be. He started to rise to his feet, but noticed a figure stood by the otehr end of the table. Arthur sighed.  
"Gaius?" he made it a question, still not prepared to completely forgive him for keeping Merlins secret, and harboring young magician, a crime that would have resulted in death during Uthers reign and probably during his too, If it weren't for Merlin.  
"Sire," he replied, "I just wanted to tell you that if Melin did go to the druids, then he will most likely make his way back here. He values your life more than his, he has done so since he started working for you." Arthur sighed.  
"Thankyou Gaius, but after the treatment I gave him, why would he do so anymore?" He dismissed Gaius wth a flick of his fingers and got out of his chair and walked over to the window, staring the sun setting over Camelot. Knowing that If Morgana was not her by now, then she would be by dawn. It was about to begin. He made his way up to his chambers, lying next to Gwen, who was sleeping, and dreading the coming day. The last words he whispered before he allowed his mind to try to rest were  
"Merlin, I'm sorry..."


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin stood inside the circle of druids. He didn't envy them their task. The spell they were about to do was very complex. It involved sending someone from one place to another in a matter of moments. He had his bag, containing some food and two leather water skins. However, whereas one contained water, one contained a different version of the liquid he drank that helped him heal. It was a distilled version that would boost his energy when he drank it. The druids had also provided him with a knife, as they were a peaceful people and had no weapons aside from magic, for the plan he had. He asked the druids, again, if they would be okay to go through with it, to which they replied with nods and other assertions. They began to chant, and the last thing he saw before he was spun away was the old druid nodding to him respectfully.

He landed in a heap on the ground and immediately jumped up to see where he was. The druids had got the spell nearly spot on, as he was in the forest just to the side of the castle wall, where he and Arthur had often snuck out from the dungeon tunnels and the other entrances. As he dropped down, to avoid the gaze of the guards who normally patrolled the wall, he made a decision. He knew that in this fight, magic might not be enough to protect him, and he had remembered, in the cave, that he had been able to use the dragon forged blade like a master. He immediately ran towards the clearing where he often called the Great Dragon. It did not take him long to reach it, and he spoke in the language of the dragon-tongue, summoning the Dragon. He was surprised to see, not one but, two dragons land in the clearing, and recognized the white dragon as the one he had called from the egg... Aithusa. He turned to face the great dragon.  
"You once breathed flames onto the blade now welded by Arthur," he said, "and Now I ask you to do the same again. But not for a sword." He held out the knife, "For this. I need to be able to fight, and a knife is as good a weapon as any." The great dragon spoke in his sombre tones as he looked down at Merlin.  
"You have suffered greatly these past few days, young Warlock. Yet you are willing to run to the aid of one who told you that he would see you dead. Why?" Merlin knew that there was no point in prssing his request and answered the question.  
"You once told me that I was destined to protect Arthur, when I believed I would not. Now, I believe I have to. He's my friend, and the only hope for the future of Camelot. Albion is but a possible future, he is more important than that." He looked up at Kigharrah, not able to gauge anything from his expression.  
"Very well, young Warlock, I shall do as you ask. But as before, I warn you. In the wrong hands, weapons of such power can do great evil..." They both turned to look at Camelot, as they heard a terrifying screech wrent the air, followed by another... and another. Merlin froze.  
"The gargoyles," he murmured, remembering the last time these stone creatures had come to life. He turned to the dragon.  
"We must hurry" he said, before using magic to levitate the blade. He still flinched as white hot flames encased the blade, and was wary when grasping it, even though he knew it would not burn.  
"Go now, Merlin." ordered the dragon. "and do not fear the stones. They are only as strong as their holder, and the Witch does not understand their magic, she simply uses it. Be careful Merlin." And with that, both dragons flew away.  
"Thankyou..." Merlin murmured to the empty air, and he ran back through the woods.  
_

Arthur awoke, and the first thing he noticed was that Gwen was still asleep. He moved slowly, as not to wake her and dressed. He was struggling with the catches on his wrists, realizing that he had long been taking Merlin for granted, when he felt her arms around him. She took hold of the catches and completed the job, also tweaking the rest of his armour.  
"Be careful, Arthur" she pleaded quietly into his shoulder, "You can beat her, but I'd rather you didn't die in the process..." Arthur had to smile. "Always making it better for others... and Gwen?" He turned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, "Stay safe." He kissed her, then left the room, heading down to the council chambers where they had all agreed to meet. He walked in to see most of them there. They seemed tired.  
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked the group at large. Everyone answered with  
'No Sire', or various other comments. Arthur gathered that not a single one of the men had got a wink of sleep the previous night, him included. He looked around.  
"So we are just missing Gwaine and Elyan" he surmised, before Elyan burst into the room. "Sire," he gasped. "Gwaine won't wake. Nothing will wake him." Arthurs blood ran cold.  
"Morgana is using the stone" he murmured, then to the group. "Well, it's begun. Damn Her. We cant stop it now, so we had best make the most of what we have." He turned to Sir Leon, "Check the barracks. See how many men we have." Leon had just turned to walk away before he stopped and looked back.  
"Sire," he ventured, "I thought you said that we would need a sorcerer to beat her... From what you told us of Merlin, I gather that not all sorcerers are evil... I mean, Merlin was a friend to everyone..." Arthur sighed,  
"Everyone," he repeated softly, under his breath. He turned to the group. He had told them little of what had happened, only telling them that Merlin was a sorcerer and that they had argued, culminating in Merlin vanishing. "Leon, I wish as much as you that he would come, but after some of the things I... look. Lets not get our hopes up."  
Ten minutes later, and everyone had decided that the best thing to do would be to gather the remaining soldiers and keep up the defences of Camelot as best they could. Just as they were about to leave, Sir Elyan spoke,  
"Sire, just to let you know that in the last two days, people have become increasingly violent towards each other... Could it be one of the other stones?" Arthur smashed a fist into the table.  
"Damn her to hell," he cursed. "Yes, it probably is the work of the stone. Just try to keep from fighting. You are strong of will, so it will not affect you as fast. Lets just hope she doesn't unleash the demons..." A blood curdling shriek rent the air, and everyone froze.  
"To the courtyard, the Gargoyles..." Arthur cried, recognising the sound. They ran out into the courtyard, reliving the time that the Gargoyles had attacked Camelot before. The fighting started and so the morning passed into the afternoon...  
_

Merlin used the passage that led to the weapons room, the one he had helped Morgana use, once before, to get the druid boy out of Camelot. He arrived at the secret door, only to find the room empty aside for three sleeping guards. He tried to wake one, but soon realized that it was the work of the stones. He raced up through the castle, pulling the hood on his cloak down to hide his face, heading for the courtyard. When he arrived, a sight of destruction met his eyes. All of the men fighting were injured, knights and soldiers alike, but none of them was Arthur. Merlin scanned the crowd in an ever increasing panic, and finally saw him. He had taken on one of the Gargoyles single-handedly, but was outmatched. After all, you cannot destroy stone... unless it crumbles... Merlin raised his hand, and his eyes turned an amber gold as he released the magic, the same spell, over and over. One by one, the Gargoyles crumpled into dust. The remaining ones flew or ran, obeying some unknown order from an unseen master. He grinned at his work, before melting into the shadows. Just as Arthurs eyes met his own, he turned away, hoping that he would think it a trick of the light.  
_

Arthur couldn't beat the Gargoyle that was bearing down on him, and knew that the rest of the men were likewise out matched. After all, how can you destroy stone. He brought his sword up in a futile attempt to shield himself, but was amazed to find himself showered in dust. He looked up, and saw that each of the Gargoyles was crumbling, one by one. How could they... He saw a twitch in the shadows by the doors and turned, just catching sight of a flicker of gold vanishing. Could it have been... Merlin? He an over to the spot, but could see no-on in anydirection aside from the knights and soldiers in the courtyard... Then again, Merlin always worked in the shadows... He beckoned the men, but was dismayed to find them all doing nothing but arguing between themselves.  
"Hey" he cried, "the magic of the stones is at work here, whatever you are arguing about, stop." He felt himself getting angrier at the men, but managed to keep his anger in check. "Inside" he ordered, and was glad that the men followed his orders. But he knew it was only a matter of time until he would be unable to stop them. Throughout the late aftrnoon and evening, some of the men had to be locked up, in order to stop them from fighting their comrades, and the number steadily progressed through the night, as they all got more and more tired. Arthur looked around. They needed to be able to sleep... and work as a unit... they needed to destroy the stones. He caught sight of something in the shadows of the balcony, but when he looked, he could see nothing. For some reason, a smile spread across his face... Guardian Angel... Then he caught sight of a red feather fluttering down from the same spot... it looked like one of the ones Merlin wore on the hat... the day he drank the poison to prevent Arthur from doing so... Could it be... His suspisions were confirmed as he saw two more feathers fall. He turned to Sir Percival.  
"I am going to check on something. I wont be long. Try to keep them from fighting." He had just opened the doors when he saw a bright flash and was thrown backwards. A storm of demons flew into the hall, followed by Morgana. Arthur got to his feet, and noticed that she was wearing the same as she had the other day, but had three stones in her hands.  
"Hello again, how do you like my pets?" She asked, flinging back th men that tried to rush her. "Tut tut," she said mockingly, "Hold your tempers... Oh, wait a moment. You can't." She gave another laugh, which was cut off by a voice above her.  
_

Merlin decided that if he was going to be able to help properly, Athur needed to know he was here. He ran to the wardrobes that held the ceremonial outfits of the servants of Camelot, and plucked a few feathers from one of the hats. He remembered how Arhtur had ordered him to wear the outfit and laughed. Good times... He immediatley ran to the great hall, where most of the men were assembled, and climbed the stairs to the balcony. He waited until Arthur was not busy with other things, then let a single feather drop. He waited until it had his attention then let another drop, then another. He must have got the message, because he got up to tal to Percival, beore heading for the doors. He had just begun to open one, when he flew backwards and crashed into the tables. He got to his feet just as Morgana came into the room amidst a swarm of the demons. He heard every word she said, but was more focused on the belt. Where was... oh, there. He saw the stone that resembled the drawings of the dusk stone in the books and stood up. Cutting her off, midlaugh, he called.  
"Lady Morgana, Your taste in jewels seems to have diminished. Lets remedy that, shall we?" He said a spell, and a jet of light shot down, hitting the stone square in the center. It shattered, sparkling dust traveled to the floor around Morgana's feet. She glared at him, but he was more focused on the men that had fallen to the floor.  
"They will be fine," he called down, "They just need to catch up on their sleep." He dodged a streak of gold that sailed past him, hitting a shield mounted behind him and turning it to dust. He stared at Morgana, holding her in pace, frozen, with a silent thought.  
"Run," he murmured, knowing she would hear him. He released her and she ran out of the hall, summoning the demons after her. Merlin looked at Arthur, unable to identify his expression. He turned and ran down the stairs, heading for the great hall.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur looked up, and he felt a feeling of euphoria wash through him at the sight of Merlin. He actually came. He risked the consequences and came... He watched, a mixture of emotions tumbling though him, as he witnessed the stone shattering, the men falling unconscious, the reassurance from Merlin that they were fine, and the silent exchange that seemed to travel between the sorcerer and the witch, ending in Morgana fleeing the hall. He met Merlins gaze, and was pleased to find no anger or bitterness there. He was ashamed, however, to see the fleeting look of fear that seemed to pass through him before he managed to hide it, yet also grateful. He was afraid, yet he still came to Arthurs side when he needed it. He saw him turn and vanish, and ran out of the hall, motioning for the others to stay, and ran up the stairs to meet him. They met about halfway down. Arthur held a hand out to stop Merlins speedy descent, so that he didn't fall on top of him, then pushed him back a few steps. "Merlin," he said, but got no further as Merlin interrupted him.

Merlin an down the steps, sometimes two at a time, so was unable to stop his speed when he rounded the corner and came face to face with Arthur. Arthurs hand came out and stopped his descent, before shoving him back a few steps. He just managed to keep his balance, and wouldn't let Arthur get any further than his name.  
"Arthur," he interrupted, "I'm sorry I lied to you... I was afraid to admit it, even to you... especially because of Uther... and..."  
"Merlin, I'm sorry." Arthur butted in, stopping Merlins voice in its tracks.  
"What do you mean... I thought that you... " Merlin felt hope rise in his chest.

Arthur felt guilt swamp him again at Merlins words.  
"You thought that I hated you..." he finished for him. "Merlin, I'm sorry. I... I was..." he sighed, and caught sight of a trickle of blood running down Merlins hand. He snatched it up, pulling back the sleeve, and was struck silent at the mark running down his arm. The mark he put there. Merlin snatched his arm back.

He muttered a quick spell over the cut, that had burst open due to all the stress Merlin had put it under, and looked up to gauge Arthurs reaction. "See," he ventured, cautiously, "Its fine..." He saw that Arthur still looked guilty, and changed the subject. "You don't mind that I'm a sorcerer?" he enquired, still speaking cautiously. Arthurs reply sent his spirits soaring.

"Merlin, I don't care. After you left, I... You are my friend, Merlin. And in truth, the only person I ever truly trusted. If II were in your position, I would have done the same... Damn it, you are much braver than you look aren't you? No matter." He sighed. "Merlin, I've done a lot of thinking. And the only things that bother me are that you didn't trust me... and that, for my entire life, it has been drilled into me that Magic is evil." He was about to say more, but Merlin interrupted.

He accepted it. The magic... but Merlins relief was marred by sorrow that Arthur believed magic was evil.  
"Arthur, the only reason your father told you magic was evil is because he used it without knowing the price. That time that you talked to the spirit of your mother? She was telling the truth." Merlin saw an expression of shock cross Arthurs face.  
"But you said... you told me that..."  
"I couldn't bare to see you in so much pain. I had to say something..."

Arthur felt confused... then indescribably, inexplicably angry.  
"You lied about that, did you lie to me about anything else? Did you lie about the lies? Are you going to lie and say the death of my father was not your fault as well?" He had made Merlin back up several steps, and at the last question, his face showed so much guilt that it stopped Arthur still.  
"I...Arthur, I..." The anger returned as Merlin started to make excuses.  
"You what? What excuse are you going to use this time?" He saw a spark of understanding fill Merlins eyes.  
"Arthur. You read the scroll, you know I didn't mean to..."

Merlin couldn't continue, as the breath was knocked out of him as Arthur pinned him to the stairs.  
"Arthur..." he managed to gasp, "The crystal... you can fight it... this isn't you...". He took a deep breath as Arthur let go, and he rolled over, out of his reach. "Our destinies are entwined, Arthur, you can fight the stones effects where it concerns me. And probably Gwen too."  
He flinched as Arthur reached out to him, before he let him help him to his feet.

Arthur heard Merlins voice through the the cloud of anger in his head, and realized that he could fight the effects of the stone. His head cleared and he realized that he was choking Merlin. He immediately let go and jumped back. He waited for Merlin to catch his breath and held out a hand to help him up. Yet again, he felt shame when Merlin flinched away before accepting his help. He looked at him and a question popped into his head.  
"Merlin, why didn't you use magic to protect yourself?" The look on Merlins face made him backtrack. A mix of disbelief, pain and anger.

Merlin knew that his expression matched the feelings he had, as Arthur immediately stopped talking.  
"Because unlike some people, I dont lash out and hurt anyone in a fit of anger." He immediately regretted the words, as he realized how much Guilt Arthur felt.  
"Arthur," he said in a calmer tone of voice, but still full of the emotion he felt, "I would never hurt you. I have risked my life to help you countless times. I would never use magic against you... How dare you even think that I would... ?" He stopped as they heard a commotion at the foot of the staircase. He glanced at Arthur, and, by silent agreement, made their way down the staircase. Just before they reached the foot of the staircase, Merlin spoke again. "Arthur, There is one thing that will ensure you know I'm telling the truth. The truth Stone. Will that make you happy?" Before Arthur could do anything more than open his mouth to reply, they reached the hall and a scene of utter chaos.

Arthur could see in Merlins eyes that he was offended, no hurt by the thought, and Arthur was about to apologize, when they heard a commotion below them. They both raced down, him a few steps in front of Merlin, and had nearly reached the bottom when he heard Merlin speak. He couldn't believe his ears. Merlin would use the stone that he was so afraid of, just to make him feel better? And he had ever doubted the intentions of the Sorcerer? Ever considered him evil?  
He was just about to reply, when they rounded the corner of the staircase to a scene of utter devastation. And he realized, he had never truly doubted Merlin... and with that revelation, he resolved to make everything right between them. No matter what it took. He turned and saw his thoughts reflected in Merlin, but was unable to do more as they were swept into the chaotic scene.


	7. Chapter 7

The hall was filled with men, either fighting each other or trying to get into fights. Arthur and Merlin stood facing the scene, and turned their heads to look at each other. At the exact same time they said  
"The stone..."  
Arthur ducked a chair-leg that had been thrown at him, and jumped out o the way of the pair of soldiers who were grappling on the floor. He turned to Merlin  
, "Is there anything you could... you know...". Merlin hid a sigh, and scanned the room, noticing a few of the men had started to fall asleep.  
"I dont have to," he replied, "they are so tired they are going to fall asleep soon anyway... and in the state their in, they don't think, just lash out." Sure enough, over the course of a few minutes, most of the remaining men had fallen to the ground and lay snoring. Only a few, including Elyan, Leon, Percival and several of the other knights remained, grappling with each other.  
Arthur groaned,  
"They are trained to go for up to four days without sleep..." he muttered, just loud enough for Merlin to hear, "They aren't going to..." he didn't have time to finish however, as one of the knights spotted them.  
"Hey boys, look who it is. Our masterful Lord and King... do what do we owe this gracious visit..." he eyes drifted to Merlin, "Damn sorcerers," he cried, and rushed towards them, most of the others following.

"Damn it," Merlin cursed, "You told them?" Arthur drew his sword.  
"Well they needed to know..." he argued. Merlin drew the knife from his belt.  
"I may be able to make them feel tired," he stated, "With the stones effects, they would sleep too..." He had no time to finish as he brought the knife up to deflect a sword blade.  
Arthur was likewise occupied.  
"Well what are you...", he parried another sword thrust, "...waiting for..."  
Merlin twisted a sword out of Leon's hand.  
"Your say so...", he exchanged a flurry of blows with another knight.  
"What do you mean, my... Damn it... Do it Merlin!..."  
Arthur tripped backwards, from the force of three men pushing against him, and fell to the floor. Merlin jumped over and blocked the sword that was about to hit him, whilst muttering a spell. He disarmed Elyan, and blocked another strike before the spell began to take affect. However, sure enough, within only a few moments, the men were asleep. Merlin sighed, straightening up, allowing Arthur to get to his feet. He jammed the knife through his belt and turned to face Arthur.  
"What?" he said, to the dumbstruck expression that met him.  
"You... you just disarmed my knights with a knife... You fought men whose sword skilled rival my own, and beat them with a knife..." He laughed, "You never cease to amaze me..."  
Merlin grinned too, remembering the last time Arthur had spoken those words. Then his face fell,  
"The other men, those who were asleep when the Dusk Stone took effect... if they wake up and discord stone is still working..."  
Arthur finished the thought,  
"They will do the same, and be wide awake whilst doing it... We need to find Morgana." Together, they turned and left the hall.  
_

Morgana stared into the basin in front of her, watching them. She cursed. They were together, and whether Arthur wantd to admit it or not, that was when they were stronger. She was about to wipe the water clean in frustration, when a thought struck her. She murmured a few words and an image of Gwen appeared. She was asleep, good. That would make it easier. A plan formed in Morganas head, and she left the room.  
_

Neither of them had any ideas as to where she might be, and decided to head up to Gaius. They had just turned to go up the steps when Arthur stumbled, unable to hide the exhaustion he felt. Fighting for an entire morning after twenty-four hours of not sleeping... and only few hours the night before last because of his unsteady thoughts? He was trained, but he wasn't that good.  
He pushed off from the wall to find his path blocked by Merlin, holding out a waterskin.  
He shook it.  
"Here, you need it," he said, and when Arthur hesitated, he shoved it into his hands. "Honestly, it's fine. You aren't going to sleep, I know you won't, so have a few mouthful of this."  
Arthur looked at it.  
"What is it?" he asked, slowly, unscrewing the lid.  
"Honestly?" Merlin replied, "I have no idea whats in it, but it will mean we don't waste ages arguing about whether you should sleep or not. Which you should, but won't do." He watched as Arthur drank a few mouthfuls and shivered before holding it back out to Merlin. "No, you keep it, the moment you stop drinking that, it'll all catch up on you. Just take some whenever you feel tired." He stepped aside to let Arthur go first, glad to see that he was steady on his feet, and then followed him up the staircase.

Merlin opened the door and called Gaius' name. He walked through the room and noticed him, asleep on the chair, head on the table. Merlin hated to wake him, but reached over and shook him gently. Gaius opened his eyes, looking blearely out at him, obviously unable to make him out. Then he blinked a few times and Merlin could see his eyes focus. His eyes widened and he pulled Merlin into a hug.  
"About time you got here, M'boy." He let go, revealing a long cut down his neck.  
Merlin gasped,  
"Gaius, what happened?"  
Gaius put a hand to the wound, shaking his head,  
"Just a Demon cut, I'm fine for now. Some people aren't though."  
He gestured over Merlins shoulder to Arthur, and Merlin focused on the cut on his cheek.  
"Damn it," he cursed. "With everything else, I'd forgotten about that." He counted up the days in his head. "Arthur," he cried, "You only have a few of hours left..." He turned to Gaius. "I've seen cuts on others. How do I heal them?"  
Gaius gestured to the books on the table.  
"That is what I was trying to find out." He replied, turning to pick up a book on curses. "We need to find the cure before It's too late." He didn't need to say that he was talking about Arthur. Merlin turned to face him.  
"Arthur, we need to..."  
Arthur interrupted him.  
"No Merlin, we don't..."  
"But Arthur-" Merlin butt in, protesting,  
"No buts Merlin." He looked at the determined expression on Merlins face. "How about you do this, and I will search for Morgana. I will come back here if I find out where she is."  
They all agreed and Arthur head out.

Merlin spent nearly three hours pouring over books, insisting that Gaius shoud rest, and gradually getting more anxious, before he finally found the spell he needed. He woke Gaius and tested the spell, delighted that it healed him almost instantly. Now for Arthur, he thought and went to leave the room, changing course and running for the window as he heard a terrifying screech rent the air. He peered out of the window, dismayed to see Arthur surrounded by Gargoyles and facing Morgana. He ran to the staircase, knowing that he would arrive too late. Arthur was on his own.


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin pounded through the corridors, headed for the courtyard, hoping that he would get there in time, hoping that Morgana would not be able to resist twisting the knife. He grinned ruefully at the appropriateness of the metaphor. He rounded a corner and sped along the corridor towards the entrance chamber.

**Meanwhile...**

Arthur left Merlin and Gaius, pouring over books, and head over to the only place he could associate with Morgana. Her old room. Along the way, he stopped in to his own chambers, hoping that Gwen was there, safe, and sure enough, he found her asleep on the bed. He went over to her, and leaned over, kissing her gently on the forehead. He didn't wake her, not wanting to risk her waking up and hating him... even if Merlin had said that they might be unaffected by the effects of the stone.  
He sighed. Damn Morgana. He gently stroked Gwen's cheek, tugging his hand away when she stirred, and backing away. He took one last glance at her before leaving the room, gently shutting the door behind him. Over the next couple of hours, he searched Morgana's old rooms, the dungeons, all of the underground places including the tunnels and the reservoir... He found no sigh of her. He sighed as he made his way back to where he had left Merlin. He paused. On a hunch, he made a detour to the courtyard, heading for the lower town.  
He crept through the streets, avoiding brawling men and women. Even the children seemed to be fighting each other. He also noticed that some had cuts on arms or faces, the sign that they had been cut by the demons. He hoped Merlin had managed to find a cure.  
He finally reached his destination, Gwens old home.  
It had recently become the home of some young friends of her's that had been married. He cautiously stepped inside and was dismayed and saddened at the sight that met his eyes. A young woman held a man in her arms, crying softly. She looked up at Arthur, and managed to get a few choked words out.  
"We argued, it was so... it was about nothing... then I got angry... he hit me and I grabbed a knife and..."  
She couldn't continue. She burst into fresh tears, clutching the man closer to her. Arthur stepped over and reached out a hand, feeling for the pulse, for any sign that he was alive. He pulled his hand back, resting it instead on the young woman's shoulder.  
"I'm sorry," he murmured, realizing that her grief must be the reason she was not getting angry at him.  
She looked up at him.  
"Wait... aren't you..." her eyes widened as she realized who he was. "Your majesty, I..."  
He stopped her.  
"Hush. Its okay. Stay in here until everyone starts to act normally again."  
He left, knowing that Morgana could not have been there, and unable to get the image of the young couple out of his mind. That was, until he entered the courtyard, to find himself facing Morgana.  
He acted instinctively. Drawing his sword and hurling it at her. It skimmed past her side and she gave him a mocking smile, not realizing that Arthur had hit his target dead on. She turned to follow his gaze, and let out a scream of frustration as the stone fell to the floor, smashing.  
She grabbed another and her eyes turned gold as she spoke something over it. Arthur saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.  
"Damn," he cursed, as the gargoyles and statues began moving.  
Merlin, he thought. I hope you have found what you need... I could really use a hand. He sighed as Morgana smiled evilly.  
"You need to work on your finesse," he called out to her, groaning when she began to rub her victory in.

Merlin reached the entrance hall and crept to the door. He took in the scene, taking in the creatures and the shattered stone at Morganas feet. He realized it was the discord stone and grinned. Arthur had good aim... but no sword. He knew that he had to get it to him. But until then. He saw Morgana turn and knew he had to take the chance.  
"Arthur!" he called, throwing the knife he had taken from his belt. He just had time to see the hilt thud into his hand before he was knocked halfway across the courtyard by Morgana's spell. He rolled behind a pile of crates and spotted Arthur's sword just in front of him. He grasped it, feeling a sense of confidence fill him... he peered around the edge of the pile and froze.  
Morgana had a Black stone in her hand, pointing it at Arthur. He needed no prompting to realise that it was the Shadow Stone. He saw Mogana's lips form words and a beam of light flare from the stone, engulfing Arthur and forcing him to his knees.  
He stood up, ready to run to his aid, but was stopped by the sound of Morgana's voice.  
"Now now Merlin, are you sure that it is wise for you to do that... after all, you know what some of his worst fears and nightmares are..."  
Merlin froze, thinking about it. Losing Gwen, Losing Camelot... Maybe losing him... or maybe finding out that Merlin was...  
"No..." he murmured, looking at Morgana. She grinned.  
"Yes Merlin, I can see what he is suffering... Do you want to know how much he fears that you will turn against him?"  
Merlin shot a jet of blue light at her, narrowly missing the stone, but hitting a Gargoyle behind her, turning it to dust. She retaliated with a burst of yellow light, which missed Merlin by inches, shattering two dog statues behind her. Merlin looked at the dogs behind him and recalled the time he had brought one to life, in order to bring to life the snakes on the shield of the knight in the tournament. He suddenly recalled the counter spell, and dodged another stream of light, red this time, before saying the spell. He was rewarded with all of the statues turning still. Now all he needed to do was to keep Morgana busy. Stop her from getting the stones out.

**Arthur**

**It was dark. And it hurt. The last thing I remember was seeing a flash of gold in Morganas eyes... then nothing. Wait... I can see a light. I can see... Gwen? Im all of a sudden in my rooms, with Gwen... and Morgana. Morgana... she's walking over to Gwen and I... I can't move... I can't... Morgana has grabbed her, by the throat... Gwens eyes... shes staring at me... I can see the fear in her eyes... "Arthur" I can hear the pleading tone in her voice... But I cant... I cant help her... Morganas eyes turn golden and Gwen goes limp in her arms... And suddenly Gwen turns to Merlin... he's fighting her but shes stronger... she throws him towards me and he falls, limp to the floor... and now shes looking at me... and she throws a knife at me... it doesnt reach me because Merlin flings him self in its path... and hes covered in blood, I cant see his face.. He rolls over but its not merlin... its my father... covered in blood... and Morgana is gone... Merlin stood in her place with an evil smile on his face... his eyes golden... full of rage... He is evil... He turns to me and sends a jet of light at me... Im cocooned in blue and it burns... and everything is black and pain again... Im lost...**

Merlin hit Morgana square in the chest with a jet of light and she flew back, hitting the wall, and falling to the floor. He breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath. Finally... He ran over and plucked two stones from her belt. The Shadow Stone and the Animation Obsidian. The others were nowhere in sight. Staring at them, loathingly, he grabbed the sword and dropped the stones to the floor. With two strokes, he destroyed them. He turned to Arthur, running to his side. Finally, he would begin to come out of whatever nightmares he had been suffering...

**I am suddenly on the wall surrounding Camelot... the town is burning... a great dragon flying through the skies... the citadel has been taken... but by who... then I see them... Morgana and Merlin... felling whoever comes before them... I watch Percival fall...Elyan... Leon... Gwaine... then Merlin looks at me... smiling... he raises his hand... gold light in his eyes... and I'm falling... falling... I land on my back in a clearing... I see a splatter of red on a tree and recognise the place... It was where I found out Merlin was a sorcerer... I turn at the sound of his voice... I see him... but he has Gwens face... now Leon... Gwaine... Elyan... Percival... Lancelot... My Father... Others... faster and faster...  
Then its Merlin... staring at him... but his eyes are not golden but his normal brown... but they weren't full of the laughter and liveliness that he had taken for granted... they were pained and full of hate and rage...  
"I trusted you..." he whispered... "How can I ever forget this?" he held out his arm... blood dripping from it... then it drips upwards... and Merlins eyes are golden... and everythings fading...  
I reach out grasping the hilt of something that has appeared in my hand... All I can see is Merlins face... then I'm surrounded by Golden and blue fire... I thrust the blade in my hand out in front of me, panic filling my mind... and I finally find myself back in the courtyard... staring up at Merlins face... But something is wrong... His face... I look down and see the blade of the knife in my hand embedded in his stomach... blood pouring around it... Panic overwhelms me as I realise that this is not the power of any stone... this is real... I've just stabbed my best friend...  
Guilt and pain and Panic overwhelm me... He stares at me, trying to speak but unable to... then I see something fade in his eyes and they close... Accompanied by a small sigh from Merlin... I scream silently, a single word reverberating through my head... MERLIN!...**

**Merlin**

**I can see Arthur coming to his senses and see him open his eyes. My relief is cut short as I see a look of sheer panic in his eyes. I suddenly feel a sharp throb of agony flare through me and look down... Arthurs hand is curved around the knife... which is jutting from my stomach... blood pouring from the wound... I look back to Arthurs face and see him staring at me... shock and guilt evident in his expression... I open my mouth to speak but no sound comes out... nothing... I gratefully sink into darkness... feeling the pain melt away as I close my eyes... then...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Arthur**

**My thoughts were in turmoil... What have I... Something snapped in me... creating order from the chaos... I needed to get him to Gaius... I scoop him up, getting to my feet... recalling the time I did the same thing when he drank that poison... a lifetime ago... But then something else comes to me... I turn to glance at Morgana... she doesn't look as if she is going anywhere but still... But Merlin... a small groan from him makes my mind up for me... I see his eyes open slightly, focusing on me but before he can say anything, they close again... I start running... dodging piles of rocks and the now frozen statues... He must have destroyed it... and the Shadow Stone... how else could he have escaped that land of nightmares... and he thanked Merlin by giving him a wound that could easily be fatal... No... He was going to be fine... he had to be... I finally made it to the steps, jumping up them as fast I could... then I had to stop as a group of men blocked my way... they must have woken up... feel dismay spread through me... Merlin...**

Arthur froze as he made out Leon, Gwaine and he rest of them. Had the spell ended?  
Gwaine ran forward, and Arthur was relieved to see him without anger in his eyes.  
"Arthur, are you okay? The guys said they attacked you and..." his eyes fell to Merlin... no, to the spreading blood stain on his stomach. "Merlin..." he gasped, before he turned and ran up the stairs. "I'll warn Gaius, you need to get him up there."  
Arthur immediately followed him, calling to Leon to sort out Morgana. He turned the corner, not hearing Leons reply,  
"Morgana? Where?" he scanned the courtyard but saw no sign of her...

Arthur could barely make it up the stairs, fatigue seeping into his limbs, but he managed it. He lay Merlin down on the low bed, moving aside to let Gaius get to him. He could see by the expression on his face that it wasn't good. He felt something warm seeping into his sleeve and saw Merlin's blood soaking through. Then he realised he was still holding the knife... Merlin's knife. He fought the urge to fling it away and placed it on the table, sinking down onto the bench as Gaius cleaned the wound. Gwaine sat next to him.  
"What happened Arthur?" he asked softly, and Arthur told him about the run in with Morgana, about the visions-though he did not tell him the exact images, knowing that he should keep them to himself- and about lashing out and finding that it was Merlin whom he had struck. Gwaine said nothing throughout the story, keeping a blank face.  
Arthur finished and they were both silent, until Gwaine spoke.  
"Arthur, you didnt mean it. It wasnt your fault..."  
Arthur stopped him.  
"Don't... don't try to make me feel better. If, no... when Merlin gets better, then maybe I can try to sort out this mess." He sighed and turned as the door opened. Leon, Elyan, Percival walked in, all of them letting their eyes drift over to Gaius, who was still working on Merlin. "Sire..." Leon began, "About before... we didn't mean to..." Arthur interrupted. "Its fine Leon, It wasn't you fault." Leon realised that Arthur wouldn't accept an apology so turned his attention to Merlin. "Is he going to be okay? What happened?" Arthur was about to explain but Gwaine interrupted.  
"I'll tell them, you need to rest." He walked over to the others, the look in his eyes telling them not to argue and they all left the room.

Arthur went over to Gaius.  
"Gaius, can I..."  
Gaius cut him off.  
"I need room sire, there is nothing you can do at the moment. I suggest you rest." The harsh tone in his voice was probably not intended to hurt, but it did. Arthur turned to go, but felt a hand weakly grip his arm. He turned and saw Merlin, awake and anxiously trying to speak.  
"Arthur..." he murmured weakly, "Demon... cut. Have to heal it... please..." Arthur looked to Gaius.  
"He must do it sire, It wont be long until it starts to get worse."  
Arthur sighed and nodded to Merlin. He raised his hand to Arthur's cheek, face screwed up in concentration. He muttered a few words, his eyes turning golden, and Arthur felt pain -that he hadn't realized was there- drain away. He put his hand to his cheek, and felt it smooth. He turned back to Merlin but found him unconscious again.  
"Gaius..." he tied to say, but got interrupted.  
"I need to see to the wound. You should rest Arthur... or at least sit down." Arthur sighed and made his way back to the table, sitting down and resting his head on his arms. The last thing he thought about before sleep overtook him was that he should really try to stay awake.

**Arthur**

**I felt my eyes close, and knew that I wouldnt be able to fight the fatigue that filled my body. I remembered what Merlin said about sleep catching up on me if I forgot to drink from the waterskin and cursed. I could not reach it and I wasn't gong to distract Gaius. My lids suddenly went heavy and fell shut, and everything was dark. I suddenly got a strange feeling and I was in my rooms... A sense of horror washed over me as I relived the entire scene with Morgana and Gwen... and Merlin... all of it... Camelot was burning again... the men died... the dragon... Merlin... then again... Everything happened over and over... I did not know how long had passed... hours... days... weeks... Over and over... Then it changed. The images became blurry and eventually faded to black... then my eyes opened and I saw Gaius staring at me...**

Gaius stepped back, sighing as he realised that Merlin would be okay. The blade had missed any vital points in his body and the bleeding had lessened. He had bandaged the wound and assured himself that he would be okay for a few hours at least... hopefully.  
He turned to see Arthur, sleeping but jerking fitfully. He had been doing so for several hours, and Gaius had not wanted to risk waking him. He needed to sleep. Now, as Arthur started to move even more fitfully, he felt he had no choice. He reached over the table and shook his arm, relieved to see him open his eyes.  
He blinked a few times, then jumped up.  
"Gaius... Merlin. Is he okay?" A relieved expression crossed his face as Gaius explained that as long as he didn't strain himself too much, he would be fine. Though, he had said, That wasn't likely, so the best hope would be to wait till he woke up, then attempt to heal him with magic.  
Arthur grinned, but then his face got marred by guilt.  
"Look at what I've done Gaius... How can I ask fo everything to go back to the way it was?"  
Gaius looked at him, and Arthur finally appreciated the wisdom he held in his eyes.  
"It never can Arthur." He told him. "Too much has changed. But if you are worried about losing Merlin, don't be. That young man cares greatly about you. After everything, I don't think that this will drive him away. But you not trusting him might do."  
Arthur turned to him.  
"But Gaius, I do trust..." He never got a chance to finish.  
"No Arthur, you don't. Not as much as you used to anyway."  
Arthur and Gaius turned towards the voice, finding Merlin awake and leaning on his elbow, staring at them. His eyes showed the pain he was in, but also the sadness at what he had said, knowing it to be the truth. "You used to, but no more. Not properly..."  
He groaned and rolled back onto his back. Arthur and Gaius ran to his side.  
"Merlin," Arthur said, "How are you feeling?" He looked down at Merlin's hand, clutching the point where the blade had pierced. "I'm sorry Merlin..." he managed, before the door burst open.  
"Arthur..." It was Percival. "You need to come, Its The demons... We cant fight them..."  
Arthur told him he was on his way and Percival ran back out of the room. He turned to Merlin and Gaius.  
"I have to-"  
"We know Arthur," Merlin interrupted, "Go. If you need me, just call."  
Arthur smiled softly at the words, similar to the ones he had read on the scrap of parchment and ran from the room. Hoping that one of the men had picked up his sword. What he saw in the hall made him freeze, horror across his face.  
"Oh God's..." he murmured, before running straight at Morgana, who was clutching Gwen, grinning at him, evil written across her expression as she held a knife to Gwen's throat.


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur groaned and opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was... Morgana... she had Gwen... He sat up, to find himself in one of th cells, surrounded by a ring of worried faces. Leon, Elyan and Percival were staring down at him.  
"Arthur?," Gwaine called from the next cell, "Are you alright?"  
Arthur tensed his muscles and flexed.  
"I think so..." he called back. "What happened?"  
Percival answered.  
"After you came down, and ran towards Gwen, those Demons attacked. Morgana shot a blast of magic at you and you fell. Soon afterwards, Leon and Elyan did. Gwaine told me that the fighting only continued for a few moments afterwards. Our weapons couldn't touch them."  
He grimaced and sat next to him.  
"Everyone got cut or bitten," he continued, "Some worse than others. You've been out for nearly an entire night and day..."  
He motioned to the slash on his arm and the bite marks on Leon's shoulder. Then he pointed to Gwaine.  
"He is one of the worst... No Gwaine, not just generally..."  
Gwaine grinned.  
"Aww, come on guys," he joked, "I pride myself on that..." he paused mid-sentence and groaned, gripping a spot on his chest. "Damn, that hurts..." Arthur stood up and waked over to the metal bars that made up the partition between the cells.  
"Gwaine? How bad is it?"  
His eyes widened as Gwaine moved his hand to let him see.  
"I've had worse..." Gwaine assured him, "but never from a bright red gremlin..."  
Arthur shook his head, grinning ruefully,  
"Always the joker, huh Gwaine...?" He stopped, "Wait, where is Gwen? And Gaius? And Merlin?"  
_

Merlin groaned as Gaius pressed a wad of pulp to his wound. Arthur had just left, and it seemed that he wouldn't be helping out this time. Gaius bandaged the wound and told him to rest. Merlin sighed, he wasn't very good at lying around...  
He scanned the room, bored already, and his eyes rested on the small water-skin where Arthur had been sat. Damn, he would be needing that. He glanced around, to see that Gaius had left the room. He groaned as he got to his feet, but he stood. He managed the few steps to the table and grabbed the skin, shaking it. He was pleased to hear that hardly any of it was gone. He opened it and took a mouthful, feeling warmth spill through him. He made his way back over to the bed and lay back down, just as Gaius came back in.  
Immediately, he could see something was wrong.  
"Merlin, we need to go..."  
"Wait, whats..."  
"No time... Morgana's won. The Demons are scouring the castle."  
He helped Merlin to his feet, handing him his knife and his bag.  
"Come on..."  
He led Merlin out of the room, down the stairs, but stopped at the last corner, pressing in one of the torch brackets.  
"In here..."  
Merlin didn't question him, stepping through the gap, into a narrow twisting staircase. He waited for Gaius to shut the door and squeeze past, heading down the staircase. Merlin muttered a spell, and the staircase lit up with a pale red glow. A few minutes later, and Merlin found himself in a dark tunnel. "Gaius..." he murmured, "Where are we?"  
"In the catacombs beneath the castle," he replied, "The tunnels lead to the underground reservoir, the dungeons, the lower town and outside the walls."  
He sat down against the wall, and Merlin slumped down beside him.  
"Gaius... What can we do about Morgana?"  
"Right now? Nothing." he replied, "We need to get out to the lower town. We can hide there. Then we can decide what we're going to do. As it is, you can't do very much like this."  
Merlin glanced down, and saw the bandages. Now that his adrenalin was going down, he realised that it was hurting. He sighed.  
"I'm not going to be going anywhere Gaius. First of all, I'm not going to be able to walk more than a few steps soon, and second of all, we don't know that we will be able to get back in after we get out." He noticed a door leading off from the chamber and stumbled over to it, muttering the spell again and lighting it up. It was a small bare room, but it would be suitable for what he wanted. "Gaius, I'm staying. Does Morgana know of these tunnels?" "No, they haven't been used since the great purge. Sorcerers used them to escape from Camelot. I hadn't thought of them for years..." he got to his feet. "Well, if you're staying, I'm staying. It's not like we would be safer anywhere else."

Merlin opened his eyes sat up.  
"Gaius," he called, pleased to see that he was already awake, "How long was I asleep?"  
"Just over twelve hours..." He cut off at the glare on Merlins face.  
"You were meant to wake me after a few hours. We don't have time to waste."  
"You need the rest Merlin. And I have managed to find out most of what happened from the kitchens. One of the tunnels branches off not too far from there."  
Merlins anger changed to worry.  
"But Gaius, What if you had been caught?"  
"Well, we needed to know what was going on. How else can we make a plan? Arthur and the rest of the knights are in the dungeons. The rest of the men are locked in the rooms in the back wing of the palace. Morgana has launched a full scale manhunt for you, so we'll have to be careful... Any ideas, Merlin?"  
Merlin grinned at him,  
"Oh yeah..."


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur sat on the floor of the cell, slumped against the wall. It had been several hours since he had first woken up, meaning it had been nigh on two days since Morgana had taken Camelot.  
One of his thoughts was voiced by one of the knights in the next cell over.  
"What is she doing? Surely she should have come to speak to King Arthur by now..."  
Arthur looked up.  
"She'll be too busy hunting Merlin..." he didnt get any further as a different knight spoke up.  
"Yeah, another Sorcerer. How do we know that they aren't in it together..." he got cut off by a punch to the face.  
Gwaine had punched him as hard as he could, splitting his lip and sending him tumbling to the floor.  
"Don't. You. Dare. Don't even think about speaking about my friend like that. From what Arthur has said, he's done more for this kingdom than the rest of us put together."  
The same knight spoke up from the floor,  
"Yeah, and he was told that by a druid. Another magic user. Heck, I don't see why we trust any of them, it was magic that got us into this mess in the first place..."  
He stopped as a set of dice rolled past their cells, followed by the guard, one of the men Morgana commanded the first time she took Camelot. The dice seemed to move of their own accord, jumping a little more as the guard got closer to them. Suddenly, a foot appeared out of the shadows and booted him forward. His head hit the wall and he fell unconscious.  
A voice came from the same place,  
"I'm sorry, but anyone who follows a set of dice like that is a complete... Dollop-head."  
Arthur grinned,  
"Still using the same insults. Eh Merlin?"  
Merlin was grinning as he stepped out of the darkness, from where he had been invisible due to the black cloak he was wearing.  
"Of course, I didn't make them up just for use around you..." He turned to the guard who had been speaking before, "True, magic got you into this... " he said, "So how about letting magic get you out...?"  
He stepped forward over the guard, grabbing the keys from his belt. He looked from the keys to the locks, his face falling.  
"It appears that Morgana has some kind of safety issue..." he sighed, "She has used magic to seal the cells..."  
Heavy footsteps started to echo as a group of people seemed to start walking towards the cells.  
Merlin thought for all of two seconds.  
"It isn't a regular patrol," he whispered hurriedly to Arthur, "The next one isn't due for another hour... It must be Morgana..."  
Arthur ran over to him, hurriedly starting to talk through the bars.  
"Can you fight her?"  
Merlin gestured to his side, where the knife had pierced it.  
"Not like this," he replied, "But if I wait till she's gone, I can destroy the locks. There is an old tunnel that leads to the woods outside the castle, and another that leads to the lower town. Gaius is waiting to show you. We have a plan..." the footsteps were getting closer, "But it will have to wait" Merlin concluded.  
The group had nearly reached the corner and Merlin could see their shadows... Arthur shoved him backwards into the shadows.  
"Hide..." he whispered urgently and flung himself back to his original spot as Morgana rounded the corner with a group of guards. Arthur glanced at the spot where Merlin had been and was relieved to see no trace of him, but his view was obstructed by a shadow that fell over him. He looked up to see Morgana stood outside the cell door.  
"Hello Arthur. How nice to see you... like this."

Arthur said nothing, just glaring at her. Morgana peered down at him, but her expression didnt change at his defiance. In fact, she seemed to relish it. "Well," she exclaimed, "Seeing how you seem to have lost your tongue, How about I talk?" She didnt wait for a reply, and, pulling over a chair from a nearby table, she sat down, starting to speak.  
"So, I am going to make this quick, because I want to get to the really good part. You can probably tell that I am rather irritated by the fact that you went and destroyed most of the stones... but no matter, I have some left... The thing that really gets me is that Merlin is a Sorcerer. And not just any sorcerer, he is the most powerful one that has ever lived. Yet he spent the last few years protecting you... Someone who hates magic and everyone who uses it. I cannot even guess at his motives..."  
Gwaine interrupted her,  
"Maybe he just isn't a completely evil, power-hungry, glory seeking psychopath with a taste for theatrics..." he offered, with a pleasant expression. Morgana gave him a glare that sent shivers down Arthurs spine, and turned back to him.  
"You really need to keep your men in line Arthur."  
He smiled up at her,  
"Well, I have always told them to tell everyone the truth as they see it... I think he did quite well."  
Leon called over too,  
"You missed Attention seeking..." he added.  
Another of the knights called over too,  
"That's not all he missed, though there is a lot of things she's missing."  
Arthur grinned at the escalating red hue on Morgana's face.  
"Yeah," Percival volunteered, "Her sanity for one. Maybe its off on an adventure somewhere with her ability to shut up..."  
All of the knights were struggling to keep straight faces, and Arthur, too, was finding it hard to hide a grin.

Morgana fired a bolt of magic at the bars, rattling them and shutting them all up.  
"Don't make the mistake of thinking I am anything like Merlin." she told him, in a soft voice that radiated anger, "I am someone who is going to use my talents to make a better life for my people, not one who betrays his own kind to the son of the one who killed off most of them."  
Arthur stared at her,  
"So you're fighting for a just cause, is that it?" he asked, incredulous, "No cause is worth the murder of innocent people..."  
Morgana laughed. It sent tremors through Arthur.  
"Yes, and yet Uther killed off hundreds of innocent people just because he consulted a sorcerer and didn't think about the consequences."  
She looked around at the startled expressions of the knights.  
"Oh yes. Uther, the scourge of magic in Camelot, was motivated by guilt. He asked a sorcerer to help his wife have a son, knowing that an innocent life would be taken. Thus is the price of Magic. He did not realise that the life that would be taken was that of his wife..."

She glanced down at Arthurs face seeing him seething with anger.  
"Oh dear," she mocked, "Have I said too much? Are you used to hearing your father described as a hero... when as a matter of fact you know he isn't?" Arthur glared at her.  
"He's your father too, Sister..." he replied, knowing that it would insult her, and sure enough, she got to her feet.  
She spoke in a voice that seemed to drip with loathing.  
"You think that you are so clever Arthur... but lets see how clever you are after this."  
She gestured to her guards, two of whom opened the door to the next cell and grabbed Gwaine, dragging him to Morgana and shoving him to the floor. He had no strength to resist, as his wound from the demon was sapping all of his strength. Two others grabbed Elyan from the same cell as Arthur and pinned him down next to Gwaine.  
Morgana turned to Arthur.  
"I told you I wanted to get to the best bit. I'm going to lay it out simply for you. I have Gwen, and unless you play by my rules, she dies."  
She grinned at the horrified expression on his face,  
"First little game, One of these two is going to be returned to a cell, the other will be coming with me. You can rest assured that whoever it is will likely not survive. Especially since you upset me so much... "  
Gwaine looked up at her,  
"You mean you actually have feelings?" He was rewarded by a kick in the chest, and from his cry of pain, Arthur assumed that it had been on his wound.  
He glared up at Morgana, who smiled back at him.  
"Come on Arthur, make up your mind... " She seemed to consider something. "Then again, I do want something very much, and if you give it to me, I may consider changing my mind..." she grinned at him, "Tell me where Merlin would be hiding..."  
Arthur sat back against the wall, horror across his face. He stared between Gwaine and Elyan and shot another glare of loathing at Morgana...  
Knowing that he would never tell her where Merlin was, and he would never let Gwen get hurt... that left him to decide who he cared about more out of Gwaine and Elyan... then again, Gwaine was hurt... Elyan might...  
He couldn't think. Quiet enough to be only audible to his own ears, he murmured  
"I could really use a hand here Merlin..."  
Morgana smiled at him, in such a way that dread coursed through him.  
"Merlin won't be getting you out of this one Arthur. Why would he bother?"  
Arthur grimaced, she couldn't read minds, could she? He glanced to the shadows but saw no sign of Merlin. What could he do... He came to a decision, one that ripped him to the core, but a decision none the less. He opened his mouth to tell her, knowing that he was sentencing one of his best friends to death...


	12. Chapter 12

Arthur was just about to say the name when Gwaine spoke up.  
"How about this..." he gasped, in between short bursts of pain, "I know where Merlin is. So if you want him that badly, you'll take me and leave them alone..."  
Morgana looked down at him.  
"Ha, You think I'm going to fall for that?" then she paused, considering, "although... you are one of his best friends... so maybe..."  
An idea struck her and she laughed.  
"Very well, change of plans. I take you, and if you fail to tell me where Merlin is hiding, you get to know why it is a bad idea to lie to me, then come back and ask again, only I won't be so nice about it..."  
Gwaine groaned,  
"I had to open my mouth..." he murmured, whilst concealing a wink to Arthur.  
Arthur got the message, 'dont interfere'. He sat back, cursing himself. Cursing Morgana. Cursing Magic in general.  
Morgana noticed his clenched muscles and grinned.  
Arthurs discomfort solidified the deal.  
"Very well." she snapped her fingers and a pair of guards hoisted Gwaine up, dragging him along the passage. They shoved Percival back into the cell, paying no attention to the struggle he put up, weak as he was from the demon cuts he had. Morgana chuckled once at the anger on Arthur's face and turned away, walking up the passageway, her black dress trailing behind her.  
Before long, she was out of sight and earshot and Merlin stepped out of the shadows.  
He looked as angry and dismayed as Arthur felt, and took no time in blasting the locks.  
Within minutes, he had unlocked all the cells and healed nearly all of the demon wounds. After being healed, they head down the passage at the other end of the dungeons, following Gaius to the large chambers. The energy it took to heal them combined with his own injury meant that he had to drink from the waterskin almost immediately, and then again in order to heal the last few.  
He had only three left to go when the knight who had spoken out against magic before shoved him away. He lost his balance and crashed into another of the knights, who grabbed him and stopped him from falling.  
Merlin turned to the knight, a questioning look in his eyes, already knowing what he would say, and sure enough,  
"Dont even think about it." he spat, "Im not going to be touched by your kind. You're all unnatural and these men are idiots to trust you."  
Merlin turned to Arthur, exhasperated,  
"Arthur... If I don't..."  
Arthur cut him off,  
"Heal the other two, Its his choice."  
Merlin was surprised as the cold tone in his voice, but did as Arthur had said. A few minutes later, they were all crowded in the tunnels, with no traces that they had even been there aside from the damaged locks.

Merlin and Gaius told him their plan, and Arthur agreed with them. Half of his knights would go to the lower town, to help protect the people and to stop the spread of panic, though they would have to be well hidden by the time the alarm bell sounded. The others would make their way up through the twisting passages that led to the different areas of the castle, creeping through the castle and situating themselves in different places for Arthurs signal. The only ammendment to the original plan was that instead of just having to rescue Gwen, they would have to help Gwaine too. Within minutes, the passage was empty aside from Arthur and Merlin, Gaius having accompanied the men through the castle, helping direct them.  
Merlin and Arthur made their way up through the castle, heading for the passage that came out in near the hall. They crept up to the balcony, narrowly avoiding being seen twice by patrols of guards, and peered over the edge.  
Arthur whispered to Merlin.  
"The last time we did this, I looked down as Morgana took over Camelot..." he sighed, "I'm not sure which is worse..."  
Merlin pointed down at Morgana, who was sat in the throne, and Gwaine who was kneeling in front of her, blood dripping onto the floor.  
"Well, she wasn't going to kill your father right at that precise moment... though you do have a very talented sorcerer watching your back this time..." he whispered back, his focus on Gwaine.  
"Fair point... though I had that last time, didn't I?" Arthur whispered back, smiling.  
Merlin shook his head.  
"You know what I mean..." ha said, before realising that Arthur was joking with him.  
Arthur kept up the smile at the indignation on Merlins face, but was distracted by a cry of pain from Gwaine. His expression turned to one of anger.  
"Are you sure about this Merlin? If she catches you..."  
Merlin nodded,  
"Gwaine is one of my best friends, Arthur... He has helped me so many times... Im not leaving him to die..."  
"Then lets go." Arthur replied, "Good luck..."  
"You're the one who's gonna need it..." Merlin joked, "Im not there to drag you from whatever trouble you land yourself into this time..."  
Arthur snorted.  
"We'll see about that." he answered, and crept back from the balcony, heading off to complete his part of the plan, leaving Merlin to stare down, with loathing, as Morgana tormented Gwaine.  
He backed away and crept down the back stairs.  
Time to move.


	13. Chapter 13

Merlin crept through the kitchens, relieved when none of the cooks or servants reacted to his appearance, rather with hushed words and whispers they hastily moved out of his way. The serving staff in the castle had the ability to be unnerved by nothing, which was one of the reasons that he had decided to come this way, as well as the fact that it had a direct route up to the hall.  
He traveled up through the corridor that led to the hall, and peered out from around the door-frame. He found himself overlooking the hall from behind the dais where Morgana was sat.  
He felt a surge of anger at the sound of her voice.

"Im running out of patience Gwaine..." she said softly, a dangerous tone in her voice,  
"If you wont tell me where to find Merlin of your own accord... I may have to try something a little more... my style... Last warning."  
Merlin saw Gwaine glare up at her, and bit back a curse, quite literally.  
His face and hair were matted with blood, and the bite marks from the Demon were looking rougher than before. He fought the urge to fire a spell at the guard who was keeping him pinned to the floor.  
He couldn't announce he was there until Arthur gave him the signal...  
It didnt mean he had to like it. He gritted his teeth and tried to catch Gwaine's attention, a fairly difficult thing to do as he was busy glaring at Morgana. He got his chance as she shot a spell at Gwaine, causing him to crumble in pain, catching Merlins eyes as he did so. To his enormous credit, he did not so much as widen his eyes, as wink at him. Merlin could only admire his strength and defiance...  
Gwaine turned to him again, and Merlin took the opportunity to hold up his index finger, letting Gwaine know with the simple gesture that there was a plan and to hold on. Gwaine blinked in acknowledgement and rolled to his knees as the pain ceased.

Morgana spoke up again.  
"Gwaine... I am still waiting..."  
Gwaine simply smiled pleasantly,  
"Sorry for the wait m'lady... I hope it doesn't interrupt your terribly busy schedule... The life of a usurper must be so difficult..."  
It was impossible to not notice the biting sarcasm that laced his voice, and sure enough Morgana seemed to visibly snap, and all pretence of nicety vanished as her smile was replaced with an evil, predatory grin. Her voice changed to a quiet, dangerous whisper, which Merlin had to strain to hear.  
"Very well then Gwaine, lets try things a little differently..."  
She drew a black stone from the folds of her dress and got to her feet, vanishing and reappearing inches from Gwaines face. Yet again, Merlin had to admire his nerve, as he barely flinched at her appearance.  
At the sight of the Truth Stone, Merlins heart froze... if Morgana got Gwaine to tell her where he was... He stared up at the ceiling, wishing he could see through the walls and floors of the castle, if only to see how Arthur was doing with his side of the plan...

Arthur looked around at the guards at his feet, all of them in varying stages of pain, and stepped over the prone form of their captain. He pushed open the doors and was met with a poker being swung at his face. He ducked, rolled and leapt smoothly to his feet, bracing himself for whoever had attacked him, but finding he didnt mind as his attacker jumped into his arms, nearly squeezing the life out of him. Gwen stepped back just long enough to say,  
"Arthur! Morgana told me you were dead... And that Merlin had been captured... I was so worried..." she buried her face into his shoulder as sobs racked her body, Arthur stroking her back and whispering hushed assurances to soothe her. After a few moments, he pulled her loose and looked into her eyes.  
"We need to get out of here. Merlin is waiting for me to get you out of here before he rescues Gwaine..." Gwen interrupted,  
"Gwaine? Why? What..." Arthur shushed her,  
"No time. I'll explain it all later. We need to go..." he shook her gently as she froze, "Gwen?"  
Gwen seemed to shake herself.  
"I'm fine. What are we waiting for?" Arthur gave her a bemused look as she ran to the door, she still surprised him. He ran after her, and they made their way, silently, through the corridors. Arthur tugged Gwen's arm as they passed a small doorway, motioning her inside, before following her and pulling open the trapdoor, giving Gwen hurried instructions on how to get to Gaius. He forestalled all of her complaints at being left behind, telling her that he would be following her shortly, and left the room again, making his way back to the balcony.  
He ended up in another tussle with a group of guards, but was able to take them all down within moments, before starting to run. He had no intentions of fighting again with any men that might have heard the commotion. Fortunately, he made it to his destination without further incident.  
Creeping forward, he grabbed two feathers from the hats and inched towards the edge of the balcony, scanning the hall for Merlin. Finding him, he prepared to drop the feathers, but had no need to. As soon as Merlin saw him, he jumped up and ran forward, blasting Morgana and the three guards with her aside and running over to Gwaine. Arthur saw no more as he immediately ran down the stairs, heading for the hall. So far, it was all going according to plan... well, ish.

Merlin was just about to jump out, no matter that it was not the plan... he couldn't risk Gwane being subject to the stones power... When he noticed a flicker of movement above him. Looking up, he sighed with relief. Arthur had done it. He jumped up without a moments hesitation, blasting Morgana and he guards and running over to Gwaine.  
"Gwaine? Are you okay..." he re-thought his question, "Okay, stupid thing to ask... can you walk?"  
He hauled Gwaine to his feet and have aided, half carried him towards the doors of the haul, healing the demon wound as he went. He glanced back as they reached the doors, panicking slightly as he saw Morgana start to stir. He go out into the chamber outside and felt Gwaines weight lessen. Turning, he was relieved to see that Arthur had grabbed his other shoulder, lessening the strain on his side. Together, they made it to the courtyard, where the other knights were waiting for them. They all took over helping Gwaine, leaving Merlin and Arthur to turn back to the castle. Arthur turned to Merlin,  
"So. What do you think?" he asked him, "Can we do this?" Merlin considered the question before replying.  
"We have already destroyed the Devils Dusk, the Discord of the Demons, the Animatique Obsidian and the Shadow Saphire... We only have the Mayhem Emerald and the Echo of Morganite left... and the Truth Stone..." Merlin pursed his lips. "If she uses the Echo to create copies of herself and calls the demons, I honestly have no idea if we can beat her..."  
As Arthur considered his words, Merlin remembered what Kilgharrah had said, about Morgana not truly understanding the stone, and so making thm only as powerful as she herself was... He spoke up again.  
"Arthur... Those stones can only be used within the limits of her power... and she is less powerful than I am... If I can get hold of the stones, I could not only get rid of the Demons, but create copies of everyone here..." He paused at the incredulous expression on Arthurs face, "Its just an idea..." he started, but was unable to finish as he was blasted backwards into the air, flying into the wall on the other side of the courtyard, but protectd from serious injury by the pile of grain bags that boke his fall.  
Winded, it took him several moments to be able to get to his feet, and immediately ran forwards, eyes blazing gold as he shot a stream of magic at Morgana, who was trying to hit Arthur with a spell, only to be thwarted over and over as he ran, dodged and finally jumped behind a pile of fallen stones. Merlin smiled to himself as Morgana was flung back again because of his spell, before calling over,  
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"  
Arthur ran over to him, beckoning to the rest of his men, instructing them to retreat to the lower town. He grabbed Merlin's arm,  
"Merlin, your wound..." Merlin followed his gaze and saw that it was bleeding again, and realized that he wouldn't be able to continue fighting Morgana in his state. Following Arthur, he ran out of the courtyard, to the lower town.

Arthur gave a relieved sigh as Morgana flew backwards, and started to run over to Merlin. Calling to his men to retreat to the lower town, he reached Merlin and was horrified to see blood gushing from the wound a his side. He grabbed his arm, turning him to face him.  
"Merlin, your wound..." he began, and watched as Merlin glanced down. He saw the resigned expression that crossed his face and tugged at him, pulling him towards the archway out of the courtyard. Merlin followed and they both ran towards the lower town. Arthur glanced back only one, and vowed that he wouldn't let Morgana get away with this. They would regroup. They would make a plan. They would win... he glanced towards Merlin. Yes, they would win... no matter what it took.


	14. Chapter 14

Arthur opened his eyes and sat up to see... daylight? It must be near midafternoon meaning he had been asleep for the last night and the greater part of the day... He got to his feet and started pulling on his armour, getting increasingly frustrated as his sleep deprived, clumsy fingers couldn't do up the clasps. Damn, he really had taken Merlin for granted... He had no sooner thought this when he stepped into the room.  
"Arthur? How are you feeling?" he walked over to him and began straightening up his armour.  
"I'm fine... Gwaine?"  
"He's fine. The bite has healed; Sir Kay still won't let me heal him though. Aside from that, everyone is fine."  
"Good. As for the other one... there is nothing I can do about that. I can't order him to let you heal him... but I did order someone to wake me in the morning... not the middle of the afternoon..." he raised an eyebrow at the sheepish expression that crossed Merlins face.  
"I told them that you needed to sleep. They listened to me... Anyone would think they actually trusted me..." He stepped back from Arthur. "Done. And you really needed to sleep. The others were asleep nearly as long as you... In fact, Gwaine only just woke up..."  
"Is that because of the healing?" Arthur asked,  
"I think it's more to do with Gwaine being... Gwaine..." Merlin joked. He turned to leave the room, "We're all in the Tavern. Seemed like the best place to stay..."  
"Well, you used to spend a great amount of time there yourself Merlin... Or was that just a cover?"  
"That was kind of a first thing that popped into my head excuse kind of thing..." He replied, with a grin.  
Arthur felt himself smiling; he really had missed that grin.  
Merlin waved a hand at him,  
"Hello, anyone in there? Plenty of room alongside his brain but still..." Arthur picked up a rolled up blanket and threw it at him, sighing as Merlin ducked.  
"Damn it, you really are the most irritating... patience testing... and you are much quicker than before." Merlin grinned,  
"More like you are slower... wait till later in the day, you may actually be able to hit me."

Arthur laughed and joined him as they walked out of the door,  
"I have really missed you Merlin. As it is, Gwaine was the only source of amusement we had..."  
"Oi..." that came from behind them.  
They turned and saw Gwaine jogging towards them,  
"I wasn't that bad," he said upon reaching them, "It's just that I'm... Hey, are we heading for the tavern?"  
Arthur put a hand out, barring his way.  
"If you run up a bill like you did last time, I swear, you will be cleaning more than just boots..." seeing Merlin trying to hide a smile at the look on Gwaine's face, he continued, "And Merlin is responsible for you. Meaning he will be helping to clean them... By hand." he added as an afterthought, and was rewarded by the smug look slipping into a scowl.  
"Gwaine..." Merlin said, before they entered the Tavern, "If I end up cleaning boots... again...! I swear, I will... I'll..."  
"Stutter at me?" Gwaine laughed. "Relax... I will keep it all under control..."  
His face fell at the spark that lit up Merlins face.  
"No, I will..." he smiled innocently before calling to the barman. "Gwaine gets a three drink limit. Any more, and the one who serves him will be helping him with cleaning the stables... for..." he turned to Arthur, who was grinning, "Shall we say a month?" Arthur nodded. "There we go." He turned to see Gwaine glaring at him.  
"Sorted." he said, cheerily, watching as Gwaine stormed off towards the others, who were all laughing at him. They followed him and were soon seated with Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyon, Bedivere and Tristan.

Arthur was getting an update about what had been going on while he was sleeping. The knights that had taken positions in the castle were reporting that since they had all escaped, Morgana had apparently locked herself away in her old rooms. The servants from the castle were all fine, only a little nervous. Arthur had to marvel at how they always kept their wits in situations like these... The lower town had not been subject to any Demon attacks, though that was likely to change soon, meaning they had already began to move people into the lower catacombs, the safest place they could think of. There had been a few fatal casualties because of the Discord stone. At this, Arthur had thought back to the young couple that he had seen a couple of days ago, he would have to tell Gwen... There was also the disturbing knowledge that Morgana still had the Echo of Morganite, the Mayhem Emerald the Truth Stone. That was the reason why they were wondering why she still hadn't launched an offensive. Arthur glanced at Merlin, who looked deep in thought. He hated to interrupt, but...  
"Merlin? Any Explanations?" He started, looking up.  
"Huh?"  
Arthur repeated himself, and Merlin nodded.  
"I have a few ideas..." at the expectant look on Arthurs face, he continued. "We have no idea how long it takes to use the Echo of Morganite. It could be that she is simply waiting for the right moment... and it could be that she has a completely different plan that we are completely clueless to... though that isn't very likely... the Morganite is considered the most powerful stone, so I don't think she would pass up an opportunity to use it... More likely that she was using it as a fail-safe in case she..." He looked up at the faces looking at him, expressions ranging from thoughtful to bemused. "... in case she failed to take Camelot with the first stones..." he concluded. Leon grinned at him,  
"You've been putting a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" he asked.  
"Yeah. The trick is not thinking of what she was likely to do, but of what she would not be able to resist doing..." with that final thought, he lapsed into another deep thinking state.

Arthur could see that there was no point in shaking him out of it. He turned to Leon,  
"So, any ideas?"  
"Aside from making sure she doesn't make copies of herself? Nope." Arthur scanned the faces at the table, and noticed that Tristan was looking nearly as thoughtful as Merlin.  
"Tristan? You have an idea?" He looked up and seemed to clear his head.  
"Hmm? Oh. I was just thinking. We know the castle better than the other soldiers and if it's true that Morgana has locked herself away, wouldn't now be a good time to either attack, or at least try to infiltrate the castle and get the stones?" Leon interrupted,  
"He's right. If Merlin's theory about Morgana needing time to make the stone work is right, this may be the only chance we have of striking before she gets even more powerful than she is now." Arthur remembered what the old druid had said a while ago.  
"No..." he mused out loud to the group., "Every time she makes a copy, it is weaker than her, and she is also weakened..." Elyan summed up what they were all thinking,  
"I just wish I knew what in hell she is up to..." Arthur sighed,  
"Well, if the past is anything to go by, she is up to something that will most likely mean she wins." Gwaine laughed,  
"Well, if we are going by the past, we are gonna be back in Camelot, with Morgana god knows where after we beat her again, in less than a week." Then he sobered up, "Though last time, she didn't have a legion of demons at her control... or have the ability to multiply herself..."  
Bedivere interrupted,  
"Yeah, but this time we have a sorcerer."  
"We had Merlin last time..." Tristan argued,  
"I know that," Bedivere continued, "But last time, he couldn't really do much without being seen by someone. He doesn't have that problem this time..." He was interrupted by the arrival of Sir Kay, who was obviously drunk, and suffering from the demon wound he had sustained. His voice slurred as he interrupted the conversation.  
"Who says he doesn't have a problem..? There are loads of us who hate his kind..." He turned to Arthur, "Even your own father hated them, and you think you are smarter than... " he slipped sideways, obviously unsteady on his feet, "You think you are smarter than your father... and you are just a kid... just one with a load of power..."  
Arthur was just about to punch him in the face, when another fist beat his to it. Kay fell over backwards, out cold before he hit the floor. The entire room went quiet down and everyone turned, incredulous, to stare at Merlin, whose fist was still clenched. He loosened his fingers, stretching them slightly. Turning to Gwaine, he said,  
"I can see why you guys do this so much. Feels strangely satisfying..." He turned to Arthur, "And I have an idea." Arthur grinned,  
"Merlin, you never cease to amaze me. So, what's the plan?"  
Merlin smiled as the room settled back around them, turning to the group, he called over Gaius and said three words that had all of them questioning his sanity.  
"We do nothing…"


	15. Chapter 15

Morgana winced slightly as the echo of Morganite seemed to pull at her from deep inside her body. The unpleasant sensation, that she seemed to be being wrenched in half, lasted for nearly ten minutes, as she stood, fists clenched on the dresser, for it to abate. It was the sixth time she had gone though this in the last two days, and she had no intention of doing it again. After all, seven was considered to be the most poten magica number, so seve of her should maximise her abilities quite sufficiently. There was also the fact that each time she used it, she felt weaker and less powerful. It was not something she was used to feeling and she hated every second that left her feeling vulnerable.  
The pain uddenly ceased, catching her off balance and making her sway slightly as she fought to regain it. As soon as she was sure she could stand without falling, she turned and couldn't help the smile that sprea across her face. This copy of her was just as good as the others, a perfect mirror image. She summoned one of the guards that was stationed outside her room. For the past two day, he had been ferrying the copies of her to another, private, wing of the palace, where they had been given rooms and anything they would need until he final battle. Morana liked the sound of that... the final battle. When she would finally get rid of Arthur and his knights... and Merlin. He couldn't be Emrys, it wasn't possible... but either way, they all had to die if she was to take what was rightfully hers. The guard bowed to Morgana,  
"The same as usual my la... Your Majesty?" She sw a bead of sweat break out on his forehead. Good, so he had heard of what had happened to the lst person to address her as 'm'lady'.  
"Yes Alistair. The same, then report to me back here. Immediately." He bowed again, backing out of the room as he did so. Morgana motioned for her copy to follow him and settled into the chair in front of the dresser, once gain dreaming about Arthurs demise.

Merlin joined Gwaine and the other knights as they took a break from whatever tasks they had been set.  
"Gwaine? You said that you..."  
"Look at him Merlin." Gwaine interrupted. Merlin had no trouble in realising that Gwaine meant Arthur.  
"He has been stood in that same place," Percival continued, "In the same position for the last three hours."  
"I swear I've barely seen him blink..." Leon muttered beside him. Merlin sighed,  
"Yeah, I know. But what do you expect? Morgana has attacked Camelot more times than we can count, but this is the first time Arthur has actually been in a position to do something..."  
"And we decided that we shouldnt..." Gwaine concluded. Then he perked up slightly. "But you know as well as I do that if we can get him involved in all of this..."  
"He wouldn't spend as much time worrying..." Leon finished. "But," he continued, "the question is how... After all, the only reason he hasn't joined in yet is because he feels guilty about anything and everything and believes we'd do a better job without him."  
"Which is stupid." Merlin countered, "I mean, none of this has been his fault... We just have to make him see sense."  
Elyan spoke up, "Well, if we tell him its stupid, he wont listen... after all, he would only think we were trying to get him involved... which we are."  
"And I'm always telling him that whatever he is doing is stupid," said Merlin, then he paused, "Gwaine, remember when he was on the quest for the trident of the fisher king? An he got really protective of his honour and all that?"  
Gwaine nodded,  
"Yeah, but what does this have to do with... Oh." He grinned, "You know, that's not a very good idea..."  
"But if it works," Merlin interrupted, "Then its worth it. He cant stay up there moping all day." The other knights were staring at Gwaine and Merlin, "Well," Percival said, "In that case, you only have to let us know what you are going on about"  
"Gwaine can do that," Merlin said, already walking towards Arthur, "I have to try something..."

Arthur watched the preparations, that were being made for the battle, with ill-concealed impatience. Camelot and the upper town was being held by Morgana, with several hundred of is people still inside, and god know what she was doing. Whilst here they were, planning and preparing. They should be in there... His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder.  
"Arthur?" Merlin sighed, "You've been stood in that same place for nearly three hours. If you didnt like the plan, you could have just..."  
"No," Arthur interrupted, "Its not that. I just... You know what Morgana is capable of Merlin. The last time she took Camelot, she executed dozens of the townspeople just to make a point..." he sighed. "The plan makes sense... And I never would have thought I would be saying that about something you said before..." he gave a small smile, but the effort seemed to be too much for him and he let it drop.  
"Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Elyan and some of the others seem to be under the impression that you aren't down there because you are acting under some misguided sense of guilt about 'anything and everything'." Merlin told him, "The others think that either you believe yourself too high and mighty to be down there with them, a view that is being helped along by Sir Kay," Merlin gestured to the stocks, where Kay was being held, before continuing, speaking louder as Arthur tried to interrupt him. "And the rest are under the impression that you just cant be bothered and are wallowing in self pity."  
"Merlin," Arthur stated, "That is the most ridiculous... most... ridiculous..." He groaned and stormed inside, Merlin close behind him.  
"Well then," Merlin said to him, feeling slightly guilty, but determined to carry through, "If its ridiculous, why are you in here and not out there? If you cared about these people, you would be out there. Damn the guilt, the honour or whatever else is keeping you here. Those people are what matter, and they need you right now..." Merlin paused for a second as another accusation came into his head. Should he...  
"So the thought that the entire kingdom needs you still isn't enough to make you get out there and do something other than moping around?" Merlin's voice lowered an octave,  
"Maybe the sorcerers are right. Maybe you are more like Uther than you want to admit. He would probably have left the hard work to lesser men as well..."

The punch came out of nowhere, too fast for Merlin to dodge or flinch away from, but the expected blow didnt come. Arthurs fist stopped a mere hair-breadth away from Merlins face, before slamming down onto the table, splintering the wood.  
"Damn you Merlin." Arthur growled, "What was the plan? Insult me into doing what you say? Why do you always have to take it one step further?"  
"Because," Merlin replied, "It wouldn't have worked otherwise."  
"How do you know it worked? I could go right back out there and stand there for the rest of the day. It would probably be best for everyone."  
"True," Merlin admitted, "But you and I know you wont. You cae about those people. You know that Im right when I say that they need you." Merlin sighed. "They have been in so many situations where Morgana has done something like this, but this is worse. Do you want to know why? Because you are here and not doing anything. Thats what gives Kays accusations strength..." Arthur held up a hand for quiet.  
"Why are you always right Merlin?" he sighed and straightened up. "Lets go do... something." Merlin grinned and followed him out of the room. His ploy had worked, and he hadn't even got punched for it. He suddenly felt a sharp jab on his arm and turned, scowling, to Arthur.  
"What was that for?" he complained,  
"The whole thing about my father. It was unnecessary." Arthur grinned, "But in a way, Im glad you did it, which is ever so slightly strange..."  
"Well you're a Pendragon," Merlin joked, "What do you expect? Normality?"He ducked the stone thrown at him and jogged over to where the knights were waiting. Gwaine grinned as he saw Arthur walking towards them.  
"Merlin, you are either brave or stupid..." They were interrupted by the appearance of Gaius,  
"Or both..." he quipped, in response to Gwaine's comment. "Merlin," he continued, "I need your help with something. A young man got stabbed during the time the discord stone was in use. I can't heal him with conventional methods. Could you..."  
"No problem," Merlin interrupted, "Lead the way." Before following Gaius, he motioned to Arthur. "Keep him busy, 'eh guys?" They all nodded and Merlin set off after Gaius.

Morgana flexed her fingers as two guards pued the limp form of Alistair from her quarters. She could not risk anyone else finding out about her plans. What she did not know was at that at that exact moment, a young knight, one of those who had stayed to spy on her actions in Camelot, was hurriedly making his way through the catacombs, having witnessed the different versions of Morgana throughout the past couple of days and the casual execution of the guard. Knowing that Morgana had mo likely completed her task of copying herself, he had no doubt that she would be attacking soon. He needed to warn the king. And Fast. He had nearly made it to the main tunnel when something struck him in the back. From the warmth he felt, he was sure he was bleeding, but could see no sign of his attacker... his last thought before he hit the floor was that he hoped someone else knew of Morgana's plans... because there was little chance of him informing the king now...


	16. Chapter 16

Merlin ducked under the low doorframe of the small room, wiping blood from his hands. It had been difficult to heal the young man, but he had managed it. Now he was planning on trying to find Arthur, hopefully to find him busy with some task or other. His attention was diverted, however, as he past the small alcove that led to the tunnels. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was pulling him towards there. He followed his instincts, cautiously stepping into the tunnel and making his way down. He had scarcely been in the tunnel for three minutes when he heard faint groaning.  
"Hello?" he called down, quietly.  
"Help..." the voice was faint, and coming from the side tunnel just ahead of him. Merlin ran towards the voice, instinct telling him that it wasn't a trap, and found himself nearly tripping over a young knight. Kneeling down, he knew that he needed to get him to Gaius. There was a knife sticking from his back that had staunched most of the bleeding, and the knife didn't look like it had pierced any vital points, but it was still a severe injury. He took of his neck scarf, using it to further staunch the bood flow, and helped the young knight to his feet.  
"Come on, we have to get you to Gaius..."  
"No..." the man groaned, "Must tell King Arthur... Morgana finished copies... about to attack..."  
Even that small speech had taken most of the young mans strength, causing his entire body to sag and meaning that Merlin now had to fully support his weight. Merlin muttered a few words, making it easier to carry him, and made his way back up the tunnel.

He made it to the mouth of the tunnel a few minutes later, calling for help, and it was only ten minutes later that he, Gaius and Arthur were stood around him. Gaius was patching him up as Arthur was considering what Merlin had related to him.  
"Sir Peredur has given us an edge that we cant afford to waste," he said, "If Morgana really is ready to make her move, then we have to be ready for it." He walked over to Sir Peredur clapping him on the shoulder, "Thankyou," He told him, before turning and heading out. Merlin made to follow, but Peredur called him back.  
"Thanks for finding me." he said, faintly. Merlin shrugged it off.  
"Its fine. Just try not to die on us eh? Then it would all have been for nothing." He wa rewarded with a small smile and he followed Arthur towards the tavern.

Morana stared down at her army, assembling in the courtyard below. A mixture of soldiers, taking up the ground space, and demons, who were hovering above their heads. The lower town would be swamped in next to no time, leaving her free to clear up. The other six versions of her were spread out amongst the men, succeeding in spreading unease. It was her opinion that it was easier to rule by fear than love. Once she had control of Camelot, she would win the hearts of the people. She turned from her window and swept from the room. She would give it an hour for final preparations, then she would give the command.  
She had waited for years, she could wait another hour.

Arthur finished hauling one of the beams up for their rooftop platforms, and glanced around at the street below him. Since they had heard about Morgana having completed using the echo of Morganite, the speed at which they were working had increased. They had no idea how long Peredur ad been in the tunnel, so that meant Morgana could attack at any second. Arthur clambered down to the ground and nearly got run down by Gwen.  
"Hey, hold up," he said, "where are you off to so fast?" he noticed that she was wearing chainmail and his face fell into a frown, "Please tell me you aren't getting involved in this one." He sighed at the determined expression on her face.  
"Arthur, I cant just sit it out. Anyway, Ive been in fights before... Like Ealdor."  
"Yes, but that was different. They weren't trained soldiers..."  
"Well, either you know that I am fighting, or I do it behind your back. You know I'll do it Arthur. I have as much right as anyone here to fight for Camelot and you know it."  
Arthur saw the determination in her eyes and called to Elyan, who was over the other side of the street.  
"Elyan, you sister is intent on fighting. If she is going to, I want it to be with at least a slight measure of protection. Feel up to the job?"  
Elyan nodded and sighed,  
"She was always stubborn... but she can fight. I'm going to keep my eye on her sire, don't worry about that."  
"Hey," that was Gwen, "I am here you know, I can hear you. And I will have you know that I am fully capable of..."  
"Yeah," Elyan agreed, "But we don't have all day to argue this. Come on."  
Gwen kissed Arthur on the cheek and ran after her brother. Arthur sighed and turned around, only to get knocked to the floor by Merlin.

After disentangling themselves and getting to their feet, Merlin grinned ruefully.  
"Sorry, I have three more beam traps to prepare. It kinda taking its toll." Arthur dusted himself off and nudged him towards the other end of the street.  
"Better get a move on then. I'm heading to the Tavern, so meet me there when you're done?" Merlin nodded and jogged over to the structure of beams that were balancing from a small house. Arthur watched him go, and couldn't help admiring Merlin's idea to enchant the beams to hold the demons in place. He was using a similar magic to what he had used to repel them in the forest but in such a way that it wouldn't drain his energy so much. Arthur grinned as Merlin narrowly dodged running into a burly middle aged man and turned to head to the Tavern. He took three steps before being pushed aside by a young man.  
"Seriously," he complained out loud, "Why am I always the one who gets shoved over?"  
"You've got the biggest head, so its harder to miss!" Merlin called back, facing him, before turning and vanishing around a corner.  
Arthur growled under his breath and dismissed the young mans frantic apologies. He set into a jog and had just reached the tavern when he heard a high pitched screeching noise. He turned towards the Castle and groaned.  
"Every time..." The first screams rang out from the upper town and Arthur changed course, running instead to the gates to the upper town, pulling out his sword as he ran. Hopefully Merlin had got those traps working...


	17. Chapter 17

Merlin frantically finished the spell he was muttering, and climbed to the ground. He still had two more traps to enchant, but those would have to wait... He had thirteen spread around the lower town, as well as two in the upper town where he and Arthur had manged to sneak the previous night. The whole idea was that as soon as any demons flew beneath the beams, the magic wards would prevent them from leaving, until their energy had been drained. At which point, the trap would prepare to the same thing again. He was hoping that the demons kept to the pattern of flying in close knit groups, so they could trap more at the same time.  
As soon as his feet hit the floor, they were nearly swept out from under him as a crowd of young men from the lower town, armed with everything from pitchforks and torches to sticks and slingshots, ran past him. He pressed himself to the wall till they were past and head off towards the tavern.

Arthur ran down the street, closely followed by a band of his knights. He had left Peredur at the Tavern, to inform Merlin that he had left for the wall. Perdur had wanted to accompany him, but he was still weak, as Merlin had not had a chance to fully heal his wound. Arthur paused as the thought crossed his mind, before continuing on. In the last few days alone, he had come to take Magic for granted... When this was over, things would have to change...  
Screams started to fill the air as they neared the wall, and the sight that met them made them freeze. There were six Morganas stood throughout the street, blasting people from all sides. Not only that, but demons were surrounding the different copies of her, preventing anyone from approaching her. After the initial burst of surprise, Arthur and the rest jumped into action, fighting the human guards that were protecting and fighting for Morgana. Here, at least, they could do some good.

Merlin arrived to find the Tavern empty, aside from Sir Peredur. He cursed as he heard that Arthur had already left, and wasted no time in fully healing Peredur. Together, they set off, running, for the wall.  
It was less than two minutes later that they both arrived to a scene of chaos. The buildings around the area had been levelled by blasts of Magic, and the dead littered the ground. After an initial burst of panic, Merlin spotted Arthur and Gwaine surrounded by a knot of Men, their armour indicating they were the remnants of Cenreds men... who had obviously thrown their allegiance behind Morgana. He motioned to Peredur, and they both head off in their direction. With blasts of magic and sword strokes, they clearred a path to the others, arriving to find them just finishing up. Arthur grinned up at him,  
"And its nice to see you too Merlin. What took you so long?" His gaze turned to Peredur and he frowned, "I thought I told you to..."  
"Wait until I was healed..." he interrupted, "Yes Sire, And as you can see, Im fine." He gestured to the, now scarred, wound on his back. Arthur had no time to argue as a group of Demons caused them to duck. He turned to Merlin.  
"We need to get them to the lower town..."  
Merlin thought for a moment.  
"Leave that to me..." he assured Arthur, starting to run towards the street "I have just the thing..."  
Arthur watched, bemused, as Merlin ran towards the street leading to the lower town.  
"You know," he said to Gwaine, "Ive always said that I could never figure him out... "

Merlin ran towards the lower town, and turned to face the battle when he was sure that he would be far enough away to have a decent headstart. Summoning his magic, he started to murmur a spell, and almost immediately, a blue orb started to form in his hands. A few seconds later, he had six of them circling his hands and a bright jet of light formin in the centre of them. Taking careful aim, he propelled the orbs in different directions, directly into th hoardes of demons surrounding the copies of Morgana. When they had just disppeared from view, he mentally released the pent up energy and was rewarded with sharp shiek as each of the demons was blasted with the same power that had repelled them in the forest. At such short range, he got the additional bonus of several vaporising on the spot, wheras others seemed almost blinded. He stengthened the jet of light in his hands, almost as a beacon to the demons, and sure enough they were attracted to it. With Morganas control over them temporarily disrupted, he could lead them to the lower town, and the traps he had set. The ony problem with that was that he now had legions of demons, from hell, on his tail. With a snap salute to Arthur, he turned and ran towards the lower town.

Gwaine shook his head, trying to stifle a laugh.  
"Well Arthur, In response to the question that has been bugging you for quite some time, I think we can honestly say he is both brave and stupid..." He started to run after Merlin, "I had better make sure he doesn't get himself killed..." he called back to Arthur.  
Arthur nodded and turned back to face the guards that had previously seemed so powerful, and grinned as the saw the expressions on their faces. Even more amusing were the expressions on the Morganas' faces... That is, until they started using magic and sending men flying into walls and piles of rubble. Running forward, they were soon lost to sight in the mass of fighting men.  
However, it was not long until all of the fighting momentarily ceased, in response to a huge shrieking cry and a tower of blue light, both emanating from the lower town.  
But Arthur had no time to focus on this, as he found himself hemmed in from all sides by enemies. Stabbing one through the back, and trusting Percival to finish him off, he turned to face the other four, raising his sword to parry a weak blow and delivering one of his own. The event of only a few moments before pushed to the back of his mind as instinct took over.

Merlin turned his head again, and was pleased to see that another of his traps had claimed victims. That was nine so far... However, for every one trapped, ten came to their senses and started to attack him, and he could only keep blasting at them for so long... He came to the open square and had to pause and catch his breath. Ducking behind a heap of barrels, he managed to get his breath back, and a few ideas came into his head, all of which he dismissed as insane and ridiculous... A heightened tempo in the demons screeching ade him peer through a gap in the barrels, and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Gwaine surrounded by the demons. Cursing, he jumped up. Running towards him, he shouted,  
"When I say leave it to me, maybe you should think it through Gwaine!"  
The sudden movement attracted the demons attention and he halted in the middle of the square. In an effort to distract them from Gwaine, he started to form another orb, but not before a small group of the demons enveloped Gwaine, forcing him to his knees. The sight of one of them waving a blood red dagger did it, conjuring thoughts of every painful encounter, dangerous rescue, long kept secret, death, loss, belief and parts of himself he had ever suffered. Merlin found a core of strength and poured it into the orb. As the torrent of power manifested itself, the demons seemed drawn to it and Gwaine was soon forgotten. As the blue stream grew, it widened and started to tower above Merlin, so that he was eventually enfolded in the blue light...  
Only it was not just light, it seemed to thrum with energy and it obeyed his slightest thought... As if by a whim of instinct, he sent it spiralling out to encompass every one of the red bodies that now hovered, frozen, around the square. Trapped, they seemed to awaken and struggle... but it was no use. Within seconds, the light had them all trapped... But now what? Merlin didnt want to massacre entire legions of the Demons which left him only one option. Pulling at the energy, he sifted through the minds- if they could be called that- past the rage and inhuman emotions until he found images of what could be nothing but other-worldly... And he willed them there. It was as simple as that. Opening a doorway into a world not of his own, with a single thought... As the doorway opened, the blue light flared and shot upwards, towering above everything, even the tall towers of the castle itself. As the light flared, every one of the demons screeched, in unison, before seemingly vanishing... but Merlin could see what they saw... feel the longing they felt and had to fight the urge to follow them. Wrenching himself from them, he collapsed the tear in the veil and felt the power rebound into him, giving the impression that he could do anything... As the last dregs of the power returned to him, he had a sudden urge to sleep... and couldn't resist it. The last thing he saw was Gwaine running towards him, shouting his name...


	18. Chapter 18

**Arthur **  
_I pounded a fist against the portcullis... I couldn't help it. We had just started to win the fight, when Morgana retreated with the remainder of her men into the citadel... I have no idea why, though if I had to bet, it would be on it having something to do with Merlin... Wait... someone just cried out... It sounded like... Gwen? I run over to where she stands and freeze... Gwaine is standing there, holding Merlin, who looks... No... he cant be... I find my voice,  
"Gwaine... What happened?" I strain to hear his every word as the clamouring and whispers start spreading... I get the basics... Merlin stopped the demons, but something happened to him when he did... and now Gwaine cant feel his heart beating... I think all of this through as Gwaine lies him down in a nearby house... As much as I trust Gwaine, I need to see for myself... Placing two fingers on his neck and a hand on his chest, I strain to feel a heartbeat... any sign of life... but nothing... He is... Merlin... I wrench myself away and punch the wall... feeling it crack beneath the force I put behind it, I feel the grief and rage filling me but keep it down... its hard, and I feel tendrils of it snaking through and take the form of tears and trembling musces... but I manage it... and Im going to use it against Morgana... I feel Gwen behind me and turn, enfolding her in a hug, letting her feel the pain Im feeling... the only person who I know will be able to do anything about it... Facing the wall, I let tears fall from my eyes and down my cheeks... after few moments I feel something change and the grief turns to rage... letting go of Gwen, I wipe the tears from my face, filled with a new determination... Enough... I have had enough..._

With a final glance at Merlin, Arthur turned and made his way out of the building, his grief making a near return as Gaius rushed past him. In fact, the looks of grief and disbelief seemed to give him a new strength. Shouting orders, he made his way to another of the secret openings that led to the tunnels beneath the castle. Smashing his way through the timber that blocked his way felt good... letting out some of the anger and loss...  
A young man handed him a torch and he stepped into the tunnel, pleased to see that his plan would work. Within a few minutes, he had a group of men with mallets smashing away at the wooden supports and the layer of rock around the tunnel. Sure enough, in less than half an hour, he heard a slight tremble from within the rock itself and ordered everyone to clear out. Taking mallet, he swung a few times at one of the last wooden supports and turned to run out of the tunnel as it gave way. He dived out of the way just as rocks and dust came spewing out of the mouth of the tunnel. The results were better than he could have hoped for. The weakened support must have started a chain reaction in the entire tunnel, which was now dragging down the foundations beneath the wall of the citadel. With a resounding crash, an entire section of the wall came crashing down, littering the courtyard inside with rubble, and leaving a huge gap in the wall. With barely a glance at Arthur, the men started to clamber through.

It was over in minutes. Morgana's men were either dead or trussed up in the stables and Morgana herself had barricaded herself and her copies into the castle, no doubt trying to come up with a plan. Elyan had said as much to Arthur ten minutes after the last of the men had been rounded up, but Arthur had told him not to worry about it.  
He had said nothing else, but Elyan had seen the dangerous look on his face, and felt pity towards whoever got in his way. Now Arthur was sat at the far side of the courtyard, obviously impatient for Morgana to reappear. The rest of the knights had assembled at the rubble strewn remains of the wall and were lounging about. Gwen, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival, Peredur and Leon were all sat together discussing Merlin. Gwaine had retold them of what had happened with the demons, and they were all reacting differently to Merlins death.  
Gwen had tears streaking down her cheeks, and was huddled up to her brother.  
Leon and Percival were sat, silent, sharpening their swords, and Peredur was pacing back and forth through the rubble, kicking out at the stone, but was staying well clear of Gwaine.  
Gwaine was sat, stock still, with his back to the rest of them, staring back towards the town. He blamed himself for what had happened, believing that if he had just stayed and let Merlin deal with it, he would still be alive... Nothing the others said could sway his mind, and they ad eventually just left him in peace. Most of the other knights, those who had not known Merlin so well, but knew him enough to miss him, were either leaning against piles of rocks, silent, or else throwing stones and other debris in an attempt to take their mind off of it.  
What most of them would never admit was tht they all had a strange feeling... as if something was coming and a sense of finality hung over them.

Morgana stood at the window of her old rooms, struggling to find a way out of her current predicament. Now that that fool Merlin had freed the Demons and she had very few men left at her disposal, there was no way she would be able to fight her way out... there were too many of them, and the copies of her had diminished her abilities. Then again, Merlin was dead... A plan suddenly came to mind as she recalled a story he had read a few years ago... One line in particular... If you cut off the head, the body dies with it... If she killed Arthur, the rest of the men would fight, but be distracted. It should... no, would work. She sent the copies of herself out into different parts of the castle and walked down the the dungeons. The tunnel there shoud give her plenty of time to escape as her copies killed off Arthur and made their own way out, destroying the rest of knights... She could then return at her liesure to clean up the remnants. Yes, she liked this plan a lot...


	19. Chapter 19

_Gaius sat, head bowed, next to Merlin's prone form, his hand resting on the young mans chest. From what Gwaine had said, he could only deduce that Merlin had found the core of power that few sorcerers would ever notice or unlock. The most powerful sorcerers were said to have got their power from this indescribable source of, what legends say, was pure energy. Yet none of the books or scriptures had revealed anything to explain why someone could die from it... Gaius sighed and made to raise his hand from Merlin to get to his feet, but something stopped him. He leant in closer to Merlin and... yes, there it was again. Was it possible that...?_

Arthur was shook out of his reverie by a soft hand on his shouder. He turned and, sure enough, Gwen stood over him.  
"Arthur, the rest of us are eating... you haven't had anything since this morning and..."  
"I'm not hungry." And it was true. He didn't feel hungry... thirsty... tired... Arthur sighed, turning to Gwen, he said, quietly,  
"You know... Until we separated in the forest... I know I took him for granted. I never wanted to admit that I needed him Gwen... I wanted to be strong, to stand on my own... But he was always there and I never realised how much that meant to me..." he paused for a moment, staring at nothing, before he continued, "And I had only just begun to appreciate him... to realise how much he meant to me... and he's gone... and I can never tell him..."  
He blinked away the tears that had involuntarily appeared, blurring the world in front of him. Then let a few fall... after all, it mirrored how he felt at the moment...  
Gwen sat next to him and rested her head against his shoulder, her own tears falling freely.  
"He knew Arthur. He knew how much you cared. All of us knew it... saw it. And every one of us cared about him too..." She choked back the sob that was working its way out and brushed away her tears, then continued. "But he wouldn't have wanted this... You punishing yourself and Gwaine blaming himself for it... You know he wouldn't..."  
Arthur wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.  
"I know... but I cant help it... I miss him Gwen. He's been dea- away... for less that two hours and I miss him..." He sighed, knowing that Gwen was right, and that Merlin would call him all manner of things if he knew what he was doing. He turned to Gwen.  
"But you're right. Lets get something to eat..."  
Turning, they both head towards the wall. They had taken a few steps before the wall behind them blew open, sending them both flying into the far side of the courtyard and smashing them into the rubble. Arthur struggled to his feet, dazed, and looked around, frantically for Gwen. He spotted her and stumbled over, his heart falling when he saw her closed eyes and the blood pooling from her head.

Reaching Gwen, Arthur pulled her close to him, feeling for a pulse. His relief at this sign of life was dimmed by her erratic breathing and the ever increasing blood flow. Pulling off his cloak, he pressed it against the wound on her head, struggling to stop the bleeding. The rest of his men were quickly making their way to him, but glancing around the courtyard, he knew they would never get there. Six figures stood at intervals around the courtyard, having smashed and blown their way in.  
All dressed identically, and linked by a ring of red light, the six versions of Morgana stared at him, before seeming to simultaneously start chanting. As they spoke, the ring of light seemed to get brighter and wider. Then, as if by some unseen command, the light flared and they moved their arms to point towards him.  
He knew what they were going to do before they did it, and, sure enough, the light started to bend and flex to follow their hands, until it was pointing to him. A sudden flick of their wrists sent the jets of light flying at him and he knew they wouldn't miss. Time seemed to slow and he heard cries and shouting from the knights, screams from several of the gathered women and the sound of rocks crashing behind him. He had no time to focus on it, as time seemed to speed up again and the red light surrounded him, forcing him to the ground... no, not the light, a person.

And suddenly, a blue light burst from around him and spread, in wave after rippling wave, across the courtyard, wiping away all traces of the red and knocking all of the copies of Morgana backwards. As soon as the magic hit them, they seemed to begin fading, and in less than half a minute, no trace of them remained. As soon as the last traces faded, the blue light did too, the remaining waves of power rose, and retracted, travelling back and fading to oblivion as the person behind him seemed to pull them in.  
Arthur let out a breath he did not know he had been holding and fell back, knocking into... who? Turning and shielding his eyes from the sun, which seemed to have chosen that moment to come out, it took him a few moments to make out a familiar grin and, immediately, he pounced on him, wrestling him into a hug.  
"Damn it, Merlin. Never do that again..."

Letting him back up, Arthur rose to his feet, pulling Merlin up with him. Joy turned to worry as he saw the pale skin and shaky muscles. Still, he made jokes.  
"Never do what again? he asked, "Save your life or nearly die?" Arthur was too shocked to answer and simply hugged him again.  
"What do you mean, nearly dead?" he asked, letting go again, "Your heart stopped beating..."  
"No... " Merlin replied, "Just slowed down. I used a very rare kind of magic and my body hadn't had time to prepare for it. It too a while to... adjust to the change..." his voice faded out as he spotted the still figure lying on the rocks. "Gwen...?"  
Arthurs heart fell as he stumbled over to her, pulling her onto his lap. His cloak had done no good, and the pool of blood was already soaking into his clothes, even now. Merlin slid down next to him, muttering under his breath. His agonized groan told Arthur all he needed to know... He couldn't heal Gwen...  
Only a few seconds later, She gave a shuddering breath, and her body went limp. Too shocked to do anything, Arthur just held her, his mind focusing ony on the cruel irony of having Merlin back, only to lose Gwen...

It was only a few more moments until they were surrounded by the rest of the knights, but Arthur only had eyes for Elyan, who seemed as shocked as he was, and was already trembling. At the look on Arthur's face, he cried out, falling to the floor and smashing his fist into one of the rocks, again an again, causing his knuckles to bleed and his wrist to fracture. Merlin moved over and pulled his arm up, stopping him from hurting himself any further. The rest of the men had moved back, giving them room, and now sat on the scattered piles of rocks, some distance away. Meaning there was no one to intervene when Elyan suddenly shoved Merlin to the ground and pinned him down.  
"You have to help her Merlin... There has to be something... Anything..." He loosened his grip as Merlin gasped for breath,  
"Elyon... I cant. There is nothing I can..."  
"You wont even try? Doesn't she mean anything to you?" Merlin shoved Elyon off of him, pushing himself up,  
"Of course I care. You know I do... But I've already tried Elyon... I cant..."  
Elyon wrenched himself up, tears falling down his cheeks,  
"Merlin... Please..."

Arthur looked up, a slightly feverish look in his eyes.  
"That cup... the cup of life... could that... maybe it could..."  
Merlin froze, thinking it through,  
"Yes... Maybe... but Arthur... For one person to live, another must die..." A hard look came over both his and Elyan's face as Arthur replied.  
"So be it..."


	20. Chapter 20

Merlin knew that the faster they brought Gwen back, the better. And seeing as Arthur intended to go through with it, he was going to make sure that he wasn't going to be the one giving his life up. Arthur had already expressly forbidden Merlin to do it- though Merlin believed that was more to do with the fact that he had virtually come back from the dead several times, over the last few days, than the fact that he would be the one doing the magic-.  
Not that he wouldnt have done it, but he knew that if something went wrong, he would be the only one who would be able to try and fix it. It made him feel terrible knowing that several of the men around him would be volunteering, and guilty when he felt relief that it would mean Arthur would be safe.  
It took a few words from him to summon the cup, which was in the vaults of Camelot, and several seconds to recall his previous experiances with the cup. Thinking back to Nimueh, he felt a sense of relief fill him as he realised that he would be able to do the incantations and magic necessary.

Starting to mutter, under his breath, he summoned the clouds and rainfall, as Nimueh had done, and willed it to fall into the cup. It only took a few moments for the cup to fill, an Merlin released the magic, leaving the clouded skies to clear away. He barely noticed the looks and whispers directed at him throughout the ritual and in the few seconds afterwards, focusing solely on his task. Now that the cup was full, he made his way over to Gwen. Crouching down next to her, he poured the water into a vial, keen to make sure he didn't spill and waste it. The knights had been arguing with Arthur since he had spoken up about the cup, and Merlin could tell they had no intention of letting him die. That only left the question of who would...  
Many of the knights were willing to do it, Merlin knew, but they had yet to decide... or rather argue out, the person. As Merlin focused on the arguments, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye... As Arthur puled a dagger from his waist... no, not only Arthur. Under cover of the knights banter and voices, both Arthur and Elyan had decided to do it without the knowledge of the men.

Several thoughts went through Merlin's mind in a micro-second. He could only stop one of them... even if he called out, the rest of the men wouldn't be fast enough to act... who could... should he stop...  
A he thought this, his eyes met Elyan's, and they seemed to exchange an entire conversation in that one glance. Merlin made up his mind.  
"Gwaine!" It was the first name that popped into his head, and he didn't question the instincts that took over. "Elyan!" he called, in a meagre explanation, as he jumped over to Arthur, pinning him to the floor and grabbing the dagger before it could do any damage. Arthur fought back, but Merlin managed to keep his grip, at the same time as chanting the words that would complete the ritual... After several seconds, Arthur stopped struggling as he caught sight of Elyan, his blood pooling around the floor and soaking into Leon and Gwaine's cloaks as they held him. Merlin let go and his instincts took over. He opened the vial and tipped it into Gwen's mouth. And as the water trickled out of the bottle, he could tell that it was going to work. As the last drops fell from the vial, his eyes met Elyan, which burned with a single question. Merlin nodded,  
"It worked Elyan..." he murmured, quietly, but loud enough for the men to hear. Elyan smiled.

_**Elyan**  
... I meet Merlin gaze, and know that he knows what I'm going to do. I also know that Arthur is doing the same, and that Merlin has to stop him... This unspoken order seems to pass between us, and I can see that Merlin understands... I have to save my sister... He has to save both her and Arthur... A muscle seemed to twitch in his leg and I know he is going to move... just as I am... Just as he pins Arthur down... I plunge the dagger into my chest... I know that it is a deadly blow and can only hope that Gwen will be alright... the pain isn't as bad as I thought it would be... I faintly realize that Gwaine and Leon are calling to me... and Percival... and Peredur... and so many others... and something else... calling to me... but I cant... I must know if Gwen... Gwen... Everything starts to fade... the light... the pain... the feeling of the hands holding me up... then I find Merlin's eyes and focus on his face... I put everything I have into sending him a question... unspoken... And he nods... And I can hear his voice, faint but seemingly thunderous amid the silence that has seemed to envelope me... "It worked Elyan"... I force the muscles of my face to form into a smile... to let him know how grateful I am... My sister will be okay... okay... I feel my eyes close, and I am floating... then noth..._

Elyan closed his eyes, and Merlin felt a tear run down his cheek. Hopefully he had done the right thing... He believed that he had.. but would the others see it that way? He wasn't going to ask them though, not now. He turned away from them and sat next to Gwen, watching as a light flush appeared in her cheeks, slowly spreading. Merlin felt someone come up behind him, standing there, but stayed focused on Gwen. It took a few minutes, but she eventually opened her eyes. The confusion that immediately filled her expression cleared and turned to mall smile as she saw Merlin. Looking up past him, her smile widened.  
"Arthur..." Her voice was faint, but strong and Merlin knew that she would be fine... physically at least. Merlin smiled at her,  
"Hey... You should sleep... A lot's happened and you need it..." He should have known she wouldn't listen. Struggling, she sat up, looking up at Arthur.  
"What does he mean? Whats happened?" Staring around, she focused on the knights... or rather, the still body in the middle of them.  
"Arthur... who...?" as her eyes focused on Elyans face, they seemed to become blank,  
"Elyan... " she started to gasp and cry at the same time, as well as obviously trying to understand what was going on.  
"Merlin!" It was Arthur, who was trying to hold Gwen still, "Do something!"  
Placing a hand against her forehead, he muttered a few words, and was rewarded by her entire body relaxing.  
"What did you do?" Arthur was looking at her now still face, an edge of panic still there from before.  
"She is sleeping. Thats all. She will sleep for the rest of the day, and probably the rest of the night. She needs time for her body to heal... and to learn to cope with everything..."

Arthur seemed to relax as Merlin spoke. Stroking a whisp of hair back fom Gwen's face, a thought seemed to strike him.  
"Merlin... were any of those... the real Morgna?" Merlin shook his head,  
"No. But I think that that was all of her copies..."  
"So where is she?" Merlin was about to reply that he didn't know, when screaming interrupted from the wall. Turning, they saw Morgana, her face seeming to radiate fury, sending blasts of magic in all directions. Arthur seemed to snap,  
"Leon! Watch Gwen." Handing her over to Leon, Arthur stood and started to make his way over to her. Merlin hurriedly followed him, worried by the sudden intensity of his actions. He managed to get to the wall before Morgana noticed him, and started blasting at him. Merlin found that he had no trouble deflecting it. In fact, he barely had to concentrate to do so. Then something happened that surprised him. Morgana started to back away.

It took mere moments for the entire area to empty of people, leaving Merlin, Arthur and Morgana alone. Arthur could see that Morgana was trapped and was wondering how she could get out of it. For a moment, he thought that maybe she woudn't be able to, but that hope was dashed as she threw her hands forward, sending the entire wall of a building hurtling towads him. He surprised himself by not even flinching as the rocks an debris hurtled towards him. He realised that the reason was that he knew Merlin would stop anything from hitting , he saw a familiar expression on Merlin face.  
"Whats with the face?"  
"What face?"  
"The 'oh here we go again' face... that can also mean 'yup, Arthur is about to be a clotpole' "  
"Oh that face." Merlin grinned, "Well, seeing a Morgana just ran off and we are going to follow her, I think It warrants an 'oh here we go again face'..."  
Simultaneously, they started to run after Morgana's fleeing figure. It soon became apparent that she was heading out of the town, and Arthur started to worry.  
"Merlin... how are we... going to stop her?" he asked, between breaths.  
"I... have an... idea... but you're going... to have to...trust me on this..." he replied.  
"Sure just... make sure she... doesn't come back..."

They had just passed beneath the archway when Merlin began calling out, what seemed to be, another language. Morgana had mounted a horse just outside and was now riding off, but Merlin and Arthur were quick to mount themselves and pursue her. Before long, they came to a large clearing that was very familiar to Merlin. Sensing his opportunity, he sent a burst of energy straight at Morgana, hitting her squarely in her back, and sending her flying from her horse. Crashing into a tree, she fell to the ground, unmoving. Merlin and Arthur dismounted and ran over to her.  
"Merlin... What did you..."  
"She's unconscious..." A loud thump echoed around the clearing and Merlin grinned, "And this is why..."


	21. Chapter 21

Merlin turned, a grin on his face, to see the two dragons stood in the clearing.  
"Merlin." Kilgarrah said, "An impressive display with the demons young warlock." His eyes seemed to travel the clearing, taking in the scene. "And if you could tell your good friend to stop pointing that metal stick at me..." He admonished, leaving Merlin to turn and see a dumbstruck look on Arthur's face and his sword drawn.  
"Arthur. Put the sword away... He isn't going to hurt us."  
"That's not the idea I got from it... him as time..." he answered, but lowered his sword to his side. The great dragon turned his gaze to Arthur and lowered his head, until their eyes were level.  
"Things change, King Arthur... This you should know better than most." Lifting his head again, his eyes travelled over to Morgana's prone form. "And what," he continued, "would you have of me this time Merlin? I can only assume it has something to do with the witch."  
"Yes."  
"I will need a more detailed explanation Merlin. Yes can only mean so many things..."  
Arthur interrupted them,  
"Surely the word 'Yes' can only mean what it says?"  
"Not always. Creatures of magic have long since perfected the art of saying one thing and meaning the other... " Kilgarrah answered, before continuing, "So young Warlock, what do you need me for? The witch is at your feet. Finish what you have started..."  
"I am not going to kill her. None of us are..." before he could finish, the dragon let out a huge roar, causing the entire woods to seem to wake, and Arthur had whacked Merlin across the back of the head.  
"She cant get away with this Merlin..."  
"That witch must pay for what she has done... "  
"Arthur! She wont. If you would just let me finish..."

As soon as the clearing had quietened, Merlin continued, a hard look masking his face.  
"She should suffer as she made so many others suffer. Death woud be too quick..."  
"Merlin..." Arthur had never seen such anger cloud the young mans face before, and was slightly worried. "It isn't like you to say..."  
"I agree." The old dragons deep voice masked what Arthur was trying to say. "But I still fail to see what part I have to play..."  
"She wants to rule? Then let her. Let her rule in a place where no humans have seen fit to travel... Do you know of such a place?"  
"Young Warlock, I have flow the skies above the entire world for more years than you could imagine. Many places like this exist... the problem would be keeping her there..."  
"Could you not bind her using magic of some kind?"  
The dragons eyes seemed to cloud over... "Yes... But it would take the magic of three to do what you propose..."  
"The Druids. Their leader would be willing to accompany us, I am sure of it..."  
"Not 'us' Merlin, I am unable to do such magic... "  
"Then who..."  
"However, Aithusa will do what I cannot." Merlin looked over to the young, white dragon.  
Speaking in the Dragon Tongue, he asked "You can do this?" He was rewarded with a nod. "Will you?" This time the answer was verbal.  
"Yes..." The voice was whispery, but in such a way that the tones were filled with music... Merlin smiled both at the voice and at the fact that they had a plan. Then he froze,

"Arthur? If you are gone for any length of time... and considering that a huge roar just ripped through the forest... "  
"I'll stay. I need to start to get things back in order..." he started to turn back towards the horses, but stopped and pulled Merlin into a hug. "Don't be too long, Eh? And try not to die?"  
Merlin grinned. "Me? I intend to be an annoyance for quite some time yet."  
At a nod from Kilgarrah, he climbed up onto his back, and settled himself into the hollow of his neck. Muttering a few words, he caused Morgana's, still limp, body to rise, and mentally glued her to Aithusa. With any luck, she would not wake until they had completed their task. With a sudden jolt, they rose into the air. It was mere moments until they were above the forest, and flying towards the Druids.  
Arthur watched them until they were out of sight. Then he shook his head, bemused. Magic... Dragons... Druids... Magic... How was this all going to work...? He mounted his horse and grasped the reigns of the other, heading back to Camelot.

It took less than an hour to arrive at the Druids home, and less than ten minutes to be back in the air, with the old druid, who Merlin now knew to be called Aglain, sat behind Merlin.  
Between the honour of helping Emrys, riding a dragon and participating in magic with them both, he had not been able to say no. Merlin had been surprise by his eagerness, as he had always thought of the Druids to be the sort of people who kept emotions close to their chest... not to mention that he was in awe of the old Druid, and didn't realize that it was also the other way around... As they flew, Merlin began asking questions about the druid way of life, and soon came to know much about the secretive people. In return, he told Aglain of his own life. They were both interested in the small pieces of knowledge they could pick up about the dragons, for even the druids knew little of them. As the day passed into night, Merlin and Aglain ate -from he food that the druids had provided- and slept on the dragons back, after finding that the dragons were okay to fly for as long as need be. The following morning, Merlin had to send Morgana back into a sleeping state as she started to stir, and was pleased to hear that they would arrive at their destination before noon.

The sun had nearly reached its peak as they passed over a small area of land, in the middle of a huge ocean. Having never seen much of the sea, aside from one time when he and Arthur had puzzled over a pair of poisoned goblets, Merlin was amazed by the vastness of it. From above, he knew that the island they were on was not huge, but not small either. A perfect spot. Kilgarrah had dropped the Druid off at another point, a large, seemingly uninhabited large island. The great dragon then left him on a small beach, which he had no intention of leaving, having seen the size of the land beyond it. It took nearly an hour for the dragon to contact him, telepathically. They had all agreed that his signal would be the point at which they would begin their work. At a word from Kilgarrah, Merlin started speaking the spell they had agreed upon and immediately felt something in the air around him shift. Clouds started to cover a huge area of the ocean in front of him, and the water started to form waves. It took nearly half an hour to complete the spell, at which point, Merlin was exhausted. As he felt the energy shift, he released the spell, and lay down on the sand. Two hours later, the dragon swooped down and landed next to him, waking him from the light sleep he had fallen into. Climbing up onto Kilgarrah's back, he saw Aglain, sleeping lightly, on his back.  
Settling down in front of him, he asked,  
"Did it work?"  
Aithusa answered.  
"Yes... the spell of Berm udatri anglea worked... No one will ever find the island, be it ten years, one-hundred years or a thousand..."  
Merlin felt the music in the young dragons voice soothing, and slowly drifted back into a light doze.

The following evening, they left Aglain with his people, after a long tale of what had happened, and Merlin climbed back onto Kilgarrah. Night had just fallen when they landed in the clering. Jumping down, Merlin looked up at the Dragon.  
"Thankyou." He turned to Aithusa, "Both of you."  
"It was a worthy cause young warlock, and so a justified and enjoyable task." With that, he lifted his wings and took flight.  
"Goodbye... Merlin..." Aithusa said, both out loud and in his mind, before following Kilgharrah. Merlin sighed, and glanced towards Camelot, his face falling slightly.  
"I guess Im walking back..." he muttered to himself, and set off. He couldnt wait to get back.

He should have known that he wouldn't be able to sneak, unnoticed, into Camelot. With Gwaine on, what appeared to be, the night shift, he was barely able to make it pat the gates before he was pulled into a bear hug.  
"Merlin! Its about time you got back. Its been days... We were starting to worry..."  
In less than twenty minutes, the news that he was back had spread throughout the castle, and he was having to repeat the news that Morgana was gone for good, over an over. Eventually, he managed to excuse himself and head up to Arthur's quarters. Hoping to find both him and Gwen. Knocking with his customary triple knock, he heard the words "Come in..." faintly from behind he door, and opened it.  
Arthur wasn't there, but Gwen was sat, by the window, staring out at the sky. Turning, her eyes lit up slightly then fell again,  
"Merlin, you're back... Arthur is with Gaius... He thinks I need medicines and whatever else to help me sleep..."  
Walking over to her, Merlin pulled her into a hug.  
"Im sorry Gwen... I am so sorry. But its what he wanted..."  
Merlin felt her tears dropping onto his shoulder and sat her onto the bed.  
"Try to sleep Gwen... He wouldn't want you to be like this... you'll make yourself ill..."  
Gwen didn't reply, simply hugging him tighter and crying more fiercely. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Merlin noticed that the tears seemed to have stopped. Glancing at Gwen's face, he could see that she was already asleep, and settled her down. Getting up, he made his way to the door, slowly and quietly closing it behind him. Turning, he head off towards his own room. He had just turned the corner when he bumped into Arthur.

"Merlin!" He pulled him into a hug and Merlin heard glass shatter to the floor. "Damn it," Arthur cursed, "Those were for Gwen..."  
"She's sleeping..." Merlin told him.  
"Really? Did you do that? Or was she already..."  
"She cried herself to sleep..." Merlin started, then immediately backtracked at Arthur's expression, "But she is fine... She just needed a chance to let it out..."  
Arthur sighed,  
"Well... that's good... I guess..." then he looked Merlin up and down, "Speaking of sleep, you look like you are about to fall over. What happened? I've already heard some of the knights-"  
"Gwaine..." Merlin groaned. "How about I tell you first hand?" Merlin asked, then yawned. "Tomorrow?" Arthur grinned,  
"You got it. Now move it."  
Merlin didn't have the energy to argue, realizing that with everything that had happened, sleep seemed like a good idea. Making his way up to his room, he barely managed to reply to any of the greetings and questions that were fired at him, and could hardly give Gaius a decent run through of all that had happened. Making it to his bed, he kicked off his boots and fell down without bothering to change. His head had barely hit the pillow before he was asleep.

**Two weeks Later**

It was early morning and Merlin grinned as he entered Arthur's rooms to find him still asleep. Gwen had been awake early every morning for the last two weeks, and had been spending her mornings either with Merlin or doing something to help in the town. So Merlin felt no guilt as he opened the curtain and directed the light so that it shone light directly onto Arthur's face. Groaning, he opened his eyes and sat up. As soon as he made out the grinning face, he flopped back down and pulled the covers over his head.  
"Does the concept of a good nights sleep mean anything to you Merlin?"  
"Yes... But a healthy breakfast is supposed to charge you up for a busy day..." Setting the tray, he had bought up, down on he small table beside the bed, he threw Arthur's clothes at him.  
"Come on... They finally cleared the debris away from the wall an the rest of the town last night. They can finally begin rebuilding everything."  
Arthur groaned again and sat up.  
"But I thought you were helping with that... Why are you waking me up at some godforsaken hour in the morning?"  
"Because Gwen is already up and in the town... Because it is actually not too early in the morning..."  
"What time is it exactly?" Arthur asked, starting to glare at Merlin,  
"Well... The sun rose about... oohh... one hour ago... so... seven...ish?"  
"And was there another reason for waking me? Think very carefully before answering that..."  
"Because I bet with Gwaine that I could have a half civilised conversation with you before he woke up..."  
Merlin laughed as he dodged the pillow that Arthur half-heartedly threw at him, and made his way to the door.  
"Eat your breakfast, it will get cold!" This time, the pillow actually hit him as he ducked out of the door, and he laughed as he heard Arthur cursing behind it.  
Arthur glared at the closed door and then, involuntarily, grinned, reaching out for his clothes. Some things never changed...

Knowing that Arthur would shortly be following him, Merlin made his way down to the courtyard, hoping to find Gwaine and tell him that he had won their bet. And he also had to help with building... and hauling... and organizing... and hunting down the rat that had 'accidentaly' found its way into Arthur's quarters... Then there were the talks with the kings and Queens of the other kingdoms, the peace treaties and unions... The Albion Treaty had a ring to it... Merlin sighed at the list that was stacking up in his head... then grinned. He wouldn't have it any other way...

**Somewhere...**  
Morgana opened her eyes and stared around... Where was she? Reaching out with her mind, she realized two things.  
One, she was alone... No humans were anywhere near her.  
And two, she was surrounded by some sort of impenetrable, magical web... She was trapped.  
As her anger and helplessness built up, she screamed. One word... "MERLIN!"

**Okay so... Finished... Wow.**  
**This story continues with my series, How Things Change. I'm planning on doing thirteen mini fics, so that it is like a proper episode style series.**  
**The First is Called, How Things Change No.1, Out Of Control (though there is a one-off set before it called Wits, Acrobatics, Steel and Magic)**  
**Hope to see you there :D**  
**Anyways, Hope you enjoyed reading and Much love to regular and non-regular readers alike!**

**Raven Out xx**


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